tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/tourism-471/articlesTourism – The Conversation2019-03-20T15:01:56Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1136112019-03-20T15:01:56Z2019-03-20T15:01:56ZSafari tourism may make elephants more aggressive – but it's still the best tool for conservation<p>Going on safari in Africa offers tourists the opportunity to see some of the most spectacular wildlife on Earth – including African elephants (<em>Loxodonta africana</em>). Known for their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10588-008-9045-z">complex social systems</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3819/ccbr.2009.40009">long memory and high intelligence</a>, this species is also threatened by poaching and shrinking habitats, so further disturbance to their precarious existence could have serious consequences.</p>
<p>Wildlife tourism can help protect these animals and their habitat by generating income for conservation and providing stable work in local economies. Countries such as South Africa and Kenya receive two to five million visitors to protected areas each year, <a href="http://sdt.unwto.org/content/unwto-briefing-wildlife-watching-tourism-africa">generating receipts of up to USD$90m</a>. But as it becomes more popular worldwide, it’s worth remembering that we often don’t know how tourism affects the animals we observe.</p>
<h2>The tourist in the room</h2>
<p>In Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa, tourists stay in lodges within the park and go on safari twice a day in large, open vehicles driven by professional field guides.</p>
<p>Over 15 months in Madikwe, we recorded how often elephants performed stress-related, vigilant or aggressive behaviours to find out whether they increased during months when there were more tourists. Vigilant behaviour could be an elephant <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321543111">extending its trunk into the air to smell</a>. Stress-related behaviour included elephants <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1321543111">bunching together</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-2361(2000)19:5%3C425::AID-ZOO11%3E3.0.CO;2-A">fleetingly touching their faces with their trunks</a> – a response akin to a nervous tic in humans. Aggression was noted, for example, if an elephant <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-2361(2000)19:5%3C425::AID-ZOO11%3E3.0.CO;2-A">charged at another, spread its ears to appear larger</a> or hit another elephant with its tusk. We also watched the movements of elephant herds to see if they stuck around or moved away from tourist vehicles.</p>
<p>We found that elephants <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jzo.12661">were more likely to be aggressive</a> towards other elephants in months when tourist numbers in the park were high. Elephant herds were also more likely to move away from tourist vehicles when there were more vehicles present.</p>
<p>So, it appears that tourism does have some impact on elephant welfare – but this may not be entirely bad news. We didn’t observe an increase in stressed or vigilant behaviour in response to higher numbers of tourists, and the effect of increased aggression was small. Hunting can have much <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0002417">greater effects</a> on elephants, even among those who aren’t attacked by humans. Studies which measured levels of stress hormones in elephants after they witnessed hunts or were nearby have found they increase significantly. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0138939">Humans riding on the backs of elephants</a> is also much worse for elephant welfare than observation tours. Wildlife watching, without physical contact, seems to be the better mode of tourism for elephant welfare, but it’s not without its concerns.</p>
<h2>Is tourism the ultimate answer?</h2>
<p>Although these results were interesting, they are only from a single population in South Africa where driving regulations were enforced. We don’t know how elephants are affected in areas where tourists drive their private vehicles on safari unaccompanied by professional guides. We also don’t know what exactly was causing the changes in behaviour. More tourists per month meant there were more vehicles on the roads, but also more air traffic, more diverse smells and sounds and who knows what else.</p>
<p>Parks could create refuge areas where safari tours are restricted and contact with wildlife minimised, perhaps in areas where there are fewer roads already. Tour companies could strictly enforce a no off-roading rule here and prohibit guided walks by tourists. Such refuge areas have previously been shown to have great potential in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0031818">reducing pressure on elephants</a> during times of increased stress, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0003233">such as following large wildfires</a>.</p>
<p>Tourism can be a great conservation tool as long as it is monitored closely, and measures are taken to alleviate the potential pressures it can put on animals. If you’re ever lucky enough to find yourself on a safari, think twice about getting up close and personal with that iconic species. Instead, keep your distance and the welfare of the animals in mind.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113611/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Isabelle Szott receives funding from AESOP Erasmus Mundus – a European and South African Partnership on Heritage and Past.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicola F. Koyama receives funding from Liverpool John Moores University. </span></em></p>Wildlife tourism is a million dollar industry, but do we know enough about how wildlife feel about tourists in their habitat?Isabelle Szott, PhD Candidate in Conservation Biology, Liverpool John Moores UniversityNicola F. Koyama, Senior Lecturer in Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1108612019-03-14T11:17:06Z2019-03-14T11:17:06ZVenice had its own 'Airbnb problem' during the Renaissance – here's how it coped<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263453/original/file-20190312-86690-1azh0vh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=204%2C0%2C3074%2C1962&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A balancing act. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrosz/39122142674/">szeke/Flickr.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Cities around the world have had difficulties balancing the interests of visitors with the needs of residents, as holiday rental platforms such as Airbnb <a href="https://www.vizlly.com/blog-airbnb-infographic/">have grown</a> in popularity and size. Evidence <a href="https://theconversation.com/airbnb-and-the-short-term-rental-revolution-how-english-cities-are-suffering-101720">shows that</a> the conversion of rented homes to short-term accommodation contributes to housing shortages, <a href="https://theconversation.com/airbnbs-adverse-impact-on-urban-housing-markets-109772">raises house prices</a>, speeds up gentrification and erodes local communities. </p>
<p>Cities including Amsterdam, Berlin, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/31/airbnb-sharing-economy-cities-barcelona-inequality-locals">Barcelona</a> and London have acted to <a href="https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2016-06-22/places-with-strict-airbnb-laws">curb these negative effects</a>, imposing new taxes or limiting the number of nights that a property can be rented out. Today, Venice is one of the worst affected cities: the resident population has fallen to its <a href="https://www.citylab.com/solutions/2017/02/venice-fights-back/516270/">lowest level in centuries</a> and city leaders are looking for ways to mitigate the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/31/venice-introduce-visitor-tax-latest-bid-manage-impact-mass-tourism/">ill effects of mass tourism</a>. </p>
<p>Yet the city also has a long history of managing the pros and cons of migration and tourism, and finding ways to profit from – but also integrate – foreigners. Indeed, in Renaissance Venice, a huge influx of foreigners fuelled the rise of a large informal lodging sector, which was difficult to tax and regulate and had a major impact on the urban community. Sound familiar? </p>
<h2>Renaissance boom town</h2>
<p>By the 16th century, Venice was the capital of its own huge empire and a major crossroads of trade and travel between mainland Europe and the Mediterranean. At the same time as painters including Titian and Giorgione were making the city a centre of Renaissance culture, the <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2ascAAAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PA321&amp;lpg=PA321&amp;dq=Daniele+Beltrami,+Storia+della+popolazione+di+Venezia+dalla+fine+del+secolo+XVI+alla+caduta+della+Repubblica&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=IvVeRO7F2w&amp;sig=ACfU3U0mMgDqafh5kWOEdgaZfXUzKvXUnw&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjNi5qor_7gAhVDVXwKHSUpBq4Q6AEwBXoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&amp;q=population%20beltrami&amp;f=false">population surged</a> from around 100,000 to nearly 170,000 in just 50 years. </p>
<p>Unlike today, the people drawn to Venice at the time were mostly international merchants and entrepreneurs, migrants looking for work in local industries, or refugees from war and hunger. But the first tourists also arrived in this period, such as the French writer and nobleman <a href="http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190215330.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190215330-e-12">Montaigne</a>, who came to explore the city’s cultural treasures. And all of these people needed somewhere to stay. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257460/original/file-20190206-174857-qwzv1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=0%2C694%2C3176%2C2267&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257460/original/file-20190206-174857-qwzv1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=561&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257460/original/file-20190206-174857-qwzv1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=561&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257460/original/file-20190206-174857-qwzv1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=561&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257460/original/file-20190206-174857-qwzv1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=704&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257460/original/file-20190206-174857-qwzv1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=704&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257460/original/file-20190206-174857-qwzv1b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=704&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Buzzing: Vittore Carpaccio’s painting showing a miracle healing in Venice, circa 1496.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_of_the_Relic_of_the_Cross_at_the_Ponte_di_Rialto#/media/File:Accademia_-_Miracle_of_the_Holy_Cross_at_Rialto_by_Vittore_Carpaccio.jpg">Wikimedia Commons.</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0963926818000536">My research</a> has shown how hundreds of ordinary Venetians at this time saw a chance to make money on the side by renting rooms or beds. Many were women who struggled to earn a living in other ways: people like Paolina Briani, who in the 1580s rented rooms to Muslim merchants from the Ottoman empire, in her home a few minutes’ walk from Piazza San Marco. </p>
<p>By opening up their homes to migrants and travellers, these accommodation providers – unlike the mostly <a href="http://insideairbnb.com/venice/">absentee Airbnb owners</a> of today – shared intimate spaces with people who spoke different languages and practised different religions. </p>
<h2>Regulating the informal economy</h2>
<p>The rapid growth of this informal economy of lodging alarmed the Venetian government. Fearing the spread both of diseases and of threatening political and religious ideas, the government was anxious to <a href="https://books.google.it/books?id=TDZyDwAAQBAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=gbs_ge_summary_r&amp;cad=0#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=true">regulate and monitor</a> the presence of foreigners in their city. They also wished to minimise competition with the city’s licensed inns – a profitable source of tax revenues. </p>
<p>So, a bit like today, the government made efforts to register and tax lodging housekeepers, and force them to report on the movements of their tenants. Though this regulation was very difficult to enforce because of the informal nature of many lodging enterprises, Venice’s rulers did not try to eliminate this sector altogether. </p>
<p>While wanting to control the movement of people, they also saw that migrants and visitors were crucial to the city’s economy and its cultural power. They wanted to welcome anyone who brought valuable goods, innovative ideas or essential manpower. </p>
<p>At the same time, the government took into account that ordinary Venetians – especially vulnerable and poor groups such as widows – also profited from the influx. And the money that residents made by offering lodging might be essential to their survival. </p>
<h2>A delicate balance</h2>
<p>To be sure, Venice’s authorities did not welcome all comers. They took aggressive action to stop “undesirables” (such as beggars and prostitutes) from entering the city. They also put more and more pressure on religious minorities to live in segregated spaces – most famously <a href="https://books.google.it/books?id=r_7ljwEACAAJ&amp;dq=Venice,+the+Jews+and+Europe+1516-2016&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjUxbez66bgAhU3D2MBHX7TDzIQ6AEIKjAA">the Jewish Ghetto</a>. </p>
<p>But they also saw the benefits of promoting a diverse and flexible hospitality industry that could serve the interests of locals as well as visitors. Licensed lodging houses were allowed to flourish and, alongside the inns, became a central part of the city’s emerging <a href="https://books.google.it/books?id=37EwDwAAQBAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=venice+tourist+maze&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiXl-v966bgAhUk5uAKHUAkDRwQ6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&amp;q=venice%20tourist%20maze&amp;f=false">tourist infrastructure</a>. </p>
<p>Many newcomers who came to stay in residents’ homes – where they might learn something of the local language and customs – went on to settle and integrate into the community. In its regulation of the hospitality industry, Renaissance Venice struck a delicate balance between the interests of foreigners and locals, which was crucial to the city’s economic, cultural and political strength. </p>
<p>Today, such a compromise appears very difficult to achieve. There are differences between then and now: in the reasons people come to the city; in the nature of competing urban needs; and in the likely solutions and policies. But it seems that cities can take a lead from Renaissance Venice, and act to promote meaningful interactions between visitors and residents; for example, as <a href="https://theconversation.com/berlin-has-banned-homeowners-from-renting-out-flats-on-airbnb-heres-why-59204">Berlin</a> has done, by banning people from renting out entire flats on Airbnb. The Venice of 500 years ago challenges people to think about “the Airbnb problem” in a more nuanced way.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110861/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rosa Salzberg has received funding from the European Commission, in the framework of &quot;Horizon 2020&quot; Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Project: MIGROPOLIS (702296)</span></em></p>Airbnb has been criticised for contributing to housing problems in cities across Europe – but history shows there could be a way forward.Rosa Salzberg, Associate Professor of Italian Renaissance History, University of WarwickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1130442019-03-11T18:47:29Z2019-03-11T18:47:29ZFrom Kangaroo Island to the Great Barrier Reef, the paradox that is luxury ecotourism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263060/original/file-20190310-86686-dcsaov.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island. Each new luxury ecotourism development becomes a precedent to allow future incursions.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Southern Ocean Lodge/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Kangaroo Island, less than 130 kilometres from Adelaide, is one of Australia’s ecological jewels. Tourism Australia describes it as a “<a href="https://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/about">pristine wilderness</a>”, with cliffs, beaches, wetlands and dense bushland offering protection to native animals such as penguins, sea lions, pelicans, koalas and, of course, kangaroos. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263080/original/file-20190311-86682-1qz6ad4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263080/original/file-20190311-86682-1qz6ad4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263080/original/file-20190311-86682-1qz6ad4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=638&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263080/original/file-20190311-86682-1qz6ad4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=638&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263080/original/file-20190311-86682-1qz6ad4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=638&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263080/original/file-20190311-86682-1qz6ad4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=801&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263080/original/file-20190311-86682-1qz6ad4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=801&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263080/original/file-20190311-86682-1qz6ad4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=801&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Kangaroo Island.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kangaroo_Island_Zoom.png">Wikimedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>It is a place “<a href="https://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/too-good-to-spoil">too good to spoil</a>”.</p>
<p>Many who agree fear that new developments will do exactly that. With the state government’s approval, a tourism company wants to build two luxury tourist villages at unspoilt locations on the island’s west coast, within the protected area of the Flinders Chase National Park, the state’s second-oldest national park. </p>
<p>Park volunteers <a href="https://www.theislanderonline.com.au/story/5847096/park-volunteers-strike-over-flinders-chase-wilderness-development/">have gone on strike</a> in opposition. Hundreds have rallied <a href="https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/hundreds-turn-out-at-parliament-house-to-protest-against-development-in-kangaroo-island-national-park/news-story/584ce125428ffcd4c9136724a513b1ba">before South Australia’s parliament</a> in support of “<a href="http://www.bushlandconservation.org.au/uncategorized/public-parks-not-private-playgrounds-get-back-on-the-track/">public parks, not private playgrounds</a>”. </p>
<p>The issue is not unique to Kangaroo Island. Around Australia, and the world, national parks are under threat from the curious paradox of luxury tourism, which demands development in protected wilderness areas to cater for those who want to enjoy the natural environment without any interruption of their lifestyle. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/earths-wilderness-is-vanishing-and-just-a-handful-of-nations-can-save-it-106072">Earth’s wilderness is vanishing, and just a handful of nations can save it</a>
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<h2>Death by a thousand cuts</h2>
<p>My research has involved studying past development controversies on Kangaroo Island. One is <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669582.2011.560942?casa_token=12zfYpogba4AAAAA:59Klxtx9wa96AjigI_oKpFyuYMgY-nkpGYVDYIia0hp8CyzS5V9vsXsKFbV6UWaOwmTRT0kKSef_Gjo">Southern Ocean Lodge</a>, a six-star ecolodge near Flinders Chase developed in the mid-2000s. Another is the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517717301784">Kangaroo Island Surf Music Festival</a>, held in 2011 at Vivonne Bay, on the island’s south coast. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263079/original/file-20190311-86696-1wbj26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263079/original/file-20190311-86696-1wbj26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263079/original/file-20190311-86696-1wbj26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263079/original/file-20190311-86696-1wbj26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263079/original/file-20190311-86696-1wbj26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263079/original/file-20190311-86696-1wbj26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263079/original/file-20190311-86696-1wbj26.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, South Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Southern Ocean Lodge/AAP</span></span>
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<p>Both cases illuminate the process by which parks authorities are pressured to support commercial tourism enterprises in their protected areas.</p>
<p>Park authorities never have enough funding to pay for conservation. Tourism authorities motivated by growth indicators seek to attract <a href="https://tourism.sa.gov.au/research-and-statistics/south-australia/international-market-profiles">high-yield tourists</a>. Luxury ecotourism is a lucrative niche. As budgets for the environment are cut, the financial incentives dangled by tourism authorities become irresistible. </p>
<p>It is presented as a win-win collaboration. Any single venture can be justified on the grounds that the immediate benefits outweigh the costs. But each development becomes a precedent to allow future incursions, resulting in “death by a thousand cuts”.</p>
<h2>Elsewhere in Australia</h2>
<p>South Australian authorities are hardly alone in accepting this faustian bargain.</p>
<p>In Tasmania, the federal and state governments are backing plans for a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-16/lake-malbena-fly-fishing-development/10499444">tourism development</a> on an island in the middle of Lake Malbena in the central highlands. The lake is within the <a href="https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=27104">Walls of Jerusalem National Park</a>, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. </p>
<p>The plan reportedly involves building three luxury huts and a helipad so six people at a time can fly in for three-night getaways at a cost of <a href="https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5857966/lake-malbena-premium-tourism-plans-out-for-comment/">about A$4,500 each</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/green-light-for-tasmanian-wilderness-tourism-development-defied-expert-advice-104854">Green light for Tasmanian wilderness tourism development defied expert advice</a>
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<p>In Queensland, the state government has plans to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-27/queensland-national-parks-could-be-leased-for-eco-tourism/10423998">offer 60-year leases</a> to commercial tourism operators in three national parks (the Whitsunday Islands National Park, the Great Sandy National Park and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park). The operators will be allowed to build “eco-lodges” and offer “commercial experiences”. </p>
<p>An insight into what those experiences might involve is provided by The Weekend Australian Magazine, (whose readers have an <a href="https://www.newscorpaustralia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/the-weekend-australian-magazine-2018-media-kit.pdf">average income of A$116,495</a>). </p>
<p>The article “<a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-magazine">Walk this way: adventures in the great outdoors</a>” (published 2-3 March 2019) talks of “fully supported walking experiences” with “luxury accommodations” and “premium food and wines” costing thousands of dollars, and in some cases using helicopters to access remote park sites. </p>
<h2>Australian Walking Company</h2>
<p>One company keen to snare the Queensland leases is the developer of the Kangaroo Island luxury tourism plan, Australian Walking Company. A director and significant shareholder in the company is Brett Godfrey, the former chief executive of Virgin Australia who is now chairman of Tourism Queensland.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263078/original/file-20190311-86710-7039jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263078/original/file-20190311-86710-7039jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=448&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263078/original/file-20190311-86710-7039jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=448&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263078/original/file-20190311-86710-7039jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=448&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263078/original/file-20190311-86710-7039jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=563&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263078/original/file-20190311-86710-7039jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=563&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263078/original/file-20190311-86710-7039jk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=563&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">All that glitters: Brett Godfrey strikes a pose to promote Virgin’s Australian operation in 2007.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Virgin Australia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Godfrey has addressed his <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-03/queensland-tourism-perceived-conflict-of-interest-managed/10851100?section=technology&amp;fbclid=IwAR0x0Ev_cLaOn1dv_YBK1wv5jkg6VAZXPYso-C5xlxvUZn46iCxW1YDijqQ">potential conflict of interest</a> by taking advice from the office of the <a href="https://www.integrity.qld.gov.au/by">Queensland Integrity Commissioner</a>. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, his dual interests give an insight into the problematic nature of governments and tourism bureaucracies supporting luxury ecotourism developments in conservation areas; particularly when (as former Queensland minister for national parks Steve Dickson said in 2013), they are “<a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/queensland-government-to-open-national-parks-to-ecotourism/news-story/2a6d685a919c561b10b1f18b9c1b4c98">looking to make money</a>”.</p>
<h2>Private versus public interest</h2>
<p>The business strategy of unlocking national parks for luxury eco-tourism development risks undermining the very point of creating such parks in the first place. It pits the private interests of the wealthy against the public interest in environmental and local benefits. </p>
<p>It places no value on the conservation work of “friends of parks” groups, which support these parks primarily as <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-19/lawrence-wiifm-campaign-threatens-our-national-parks/5268552">places for conservation</a> and secondly as publicly funded places to enjoy, learn about and connect to nature.</p>
<p>Catering to the luxury eco-tourist is at odds with the “wild” and undeveloped nature that conservationists and local park lovers want. You can’t get away from it all and take it all with you.</p>
<p>Advocates can argue that luxury eco-tourism is more sustainable because it offers high economic yield with fewer numbers. But take that argument to its logical extreme and we’ll end up with situations like that in Indonesia.</p>
<h2>Komodo lessons</h2>
<p>The governor of the province that includes Komodo National Park, the island home of komodo dragons, wants to increase the park’s entrance fee by 5,000%, from about US$10 to US$500. It would certainly reduce tourist numbers, but also effectively make the park off-limits to most Indonesians. </p>
<p>The governor, Victor Laidkodat, is apparently fine with that. “This is a rare place, only for people with money,” he has <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/indonesia-may-charge-tourists-500-to-see-rare-komodo-dragons/a-46422101">reportedly said</a>. “Those who don’t have enough money shouldn’t come because this place is for extraordinary people.”</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/a-green-and-happy-holiday-you-can-have-it-all-65038">A green and happy holiday? You can have it all</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This is certainly not what we want for our own national parks, turning them into private playgrounds for the privileged few.</p>
<p>This year is the centenary of Kangaroo Island’s Flinders Chase National Park. It’s a good time to look back and appreciate the vision that led to its establishment in 1919, and to look critically at what our vision is for the next 100 years.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113044/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Freya Higgins-Desbiolles has received funding from a variety of sources during her career, including the Cooperative Research Council for Sustainable Tourism, Le Cordon Bleu Australia, the Toda Peace Institute and the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Freya is currently on the Advisory Group of TriNet and a member of the Tourism Alert and Action Forum. Freya is an ordinary member of the non-government organisation KI Eco-Action.
</span></em></p>Around Australia, and the world, national parks are under threat from the curious paradox of luxury ecotourism.Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, Senior Lecturer in Tourism Management, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1127292019-03-04T22:06:01Z2019-03-04T22:06:01ZBeaches are banning sunscreens to save coral reefs<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261525/original/file-20190228-106365-hp81yv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children play on a beach in Palau, in the western Pacific Ocean. The country was the first to place a sweeping ban on sunscreen to protect its reefs.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many families will soon escape the winter to seek warmer, sunnier climes. Swimsuits and sunglasses will invariably find their way into suitcases, but one common item might be giving people a little more pause than it once did: sunscreen.</p>
<p>Why? Well, with some fanfare back in November, Palau — a beautiful country surrounded by coral reefs in the western Pacific Ocean — announced that it would ban certain kinds of sunscreen by 2020. Hawaii and Key West, Florida have passed similar laws that will go into effect in 2021, and it’s likely that other jurisdictions will follow suit. </p>
<p>The UV-filtering chemicals in sunscreens protect us from sunburns and skin cancer, but their reported effects on corals mean they’re about to be banned on many beaches even though there are other circumstances doing corals more harm.</p>
<h2>How bad are sunscreens for corals?</h2>
<p>The first inkling that sunscreens might be bad for corals came in 2008, when Italian researchers revealed that <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.10966">sunscreens, and some of their component chemicals, caused various species of corals to bleach</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_bleach.html">Bleaching is a phenomenon</a> that describes the whitening of coral tissues in response to stressful conditions. When corals are taxed by water that is too hot or too cold, too rich in nutrients or too polluted, the colourful algae that normally live in their tissues in a mutually beneficial, food-sharing relationship are expelled, leaving the coral bone white. Bleaching is reversible if the stress ebbs relatively quickly. If not, the corals starve to death.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261514/original/file-20190228-106353-1r76qyo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261514/original/file-20190228-106353-1r76qyo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261514/original/file-20190228-106353-1r76qyo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261514/original/file-20190228-106353-1r76qyo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261514/original/file-20190228-106353-1r76qyo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261514/original/file-20190228-106353-1r76qyo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261514/original/file-20190228-106353-1r76qyo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Corals get their colour from the tiny algae living in their tissues, and become white or translucent when stressed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It seemed that sunscreens and, in particular, their common ingredient oxybenzone, were yet another thing that made corals unhealthy. Since then, a handful of studies have added to our understanding of the effects of oxybenzone and other sunscreen components. We now know, for example, that at their earliest life stage, corals appear to be very sensitive to these chemicals. </p>
<p>When little swimming coral larvae are exposed to oxybenzone in the lab, they become <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s10646-013-1161-y">deformed, bleached and damaged</a>. It turns out that the chemical — in a dark twist worthy of a Hollywood horror story — promotes bone formation and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-015-0227-7">makes the larvae encase themselves in their own skeletons</a>. </p>
<p>We also now know that sunscreen affects a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2746-2">range of other invertebrates found on coral reefs</a>, including flatworms, algae and anemones.</p>
<p>Some sunscreens have inorganic, mineral filters to protect skin from UV rays, such as nanoparticles of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide that are thought to be more environmentally friendly than oxybenzone. Unfortunately, tests showed that exposure to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-018-01759-4">zinc oxide interferes with the photosynthesis of the helpful algae</a> living in coral tissues and leads to coral bleaching. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.108">Titanium dioxide particles coated with manganese or aluminium</a> seem to have little effect on the algae and caused no visible change in coral colour, so sunscreens containing these might be safe for corals.</p>
<h2>From the lab to the reef</h2>
<p>It seems like the science is settled then: traditional sunscreens are bad. Wait, not so fast. </p>
<p>The experimental conditions that characterize the studies done to date are a far cry from a living coral reef. The standard method to test the effects of sunscreens involves taking small bits of corals, bringing them into the lab and exposing some, but not others, to various concentrations of sunscreen (or individual chemicals), and then measuring the number of algae released, the colour of the corals, the number that survives, and so on. </p>
<p>The exposure to the chemicals is usually acute — it is short and intense — and it probably doesn’t mimic what corals are exposed to in the wild, in terms of duration or concentration.</p>
<p>In fact, we know little about the concentrations of oxybenzone and other sunscreen chemicals in coastal areas. But we do have some information. On Oahu and Maui, for example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-015-0227-7">water samples from public swimming areas contain oxybenzone</a>, but usually in exceedingly low concentrations — lower than those causing negative effects in the laboratory. Concentrations were higher on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, with the highest levels on the most popular beach. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261523/original/file-20190228-106353-udw9f4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261523/original/file-20190228-106353-udw9f4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261523/original/file-20190228-106353-udw9f4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261523/original/file-20190228-106353-udw9f4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=401&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261523/original/file-20190228-106353-udw9f4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261523/original/file-20190228-106353-udw9f4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261523/original/file-20190228-106353-udw9f4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Oxybenzone protects skin from UV radiation, but some research shows that it and other chemicals can seep into the water while swimming or surfing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Before jumping to conclusions, it’s worth remembering that oxybenzone is used in a range of household products and can enter the marine environment via routes other than bathers. For example, the sediments near waste water outfalls in California where, obviously, no one swims, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2008.08.018">have high concentrations of oxybenzone</a>. (And at these concentrations, oxybenzone feminizes male fish, but that’s another story!)</p>
<p>It would also be quite imprudent to extrapolate from the bleaching effects of sunscreens on coral larvae seen in the laboratory to the bleaching of entire reefs, where so many factors stressful to corals overlap and interact. </p>
<p>In the real world, where there are many bathers, there is also a lot of infrastructure to support tourism, such as hotels and marinas, and its byproducts, such as waste water, pollution and fishing. In fact, if sunscreens play any role at all in causing coral bleaching in the wild, it is likely to be a very minor part compared to the massive, well-documented <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nature21707">effect of ocean warming on coral bleaching</a>.</p>
<h2>What should you do?</h2>
<p>The precautionary principle suggests that people should always err on the side of caution. In the absence of robust evidence, suggestive data should be enough to justify a change in policy or in personal behaviour. </p>
<p>But foregoing sun protection altogether to help coral reefs is not an option — <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/sun-safety/skin-cancer.html#a2">the evidence linking UV radiation to DNA damage and skin cancer is incontrovertible</a>. The alternatives are to leave the sunscreen at home and replace it with clothing and head wear with a high Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) rating, or buy “reef-friendly” sunscreens lacking oxybenzone.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261519/original/file-20190228-106362-aaadui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261519/original/file-20190228-106362-aaadui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=375&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261519/original/file-20190228-106362-aaadui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=375&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261519/original/file-20190228-106362-aaadui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=375&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261519/original/file-20190228-106362-aaadui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=472&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261519/original/file-20190228-106362-aaadui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=472&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261519/original/file-20190228-106362-aaadui.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=472&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sun-safe clothing can filter UV rays — and doesn’t wash off.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another choice, of course, would be not to fly to that tropical destination. This would be the action that would contribute in the most direct way to reducing <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/our-work/threats-to-the-reef/climate-change">the most important threat to coral reefs: fossil fuel-driven climate change</a>. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/researchers-set-an-example-fly-less-111046">Researchers, set an example: fly less</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This option is unlikely, however, to be palatable to those many people looking forward to digging their toes into warm sand. It is much easier to buy the right sunscreen, or to ban potentially harmful ones, than to address the most pressing challenge of our time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112729/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Isabelle Côté receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>As the mid-winter break draws crowds to beaches, tourists may be wondering if their sunscreen is toxic to coral reefs.Isabelle Côté, Professor of Marine Ecology, Simon Fraser UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1015282019-03-04T18:58:14Z2019-03-04T18:58:14ZVirtual reality adds to tourism through touch, smell and real people's experiences<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261811/original/file-20190304-110119-1uwzd7h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Virtual reality can bring historical sites to life.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>Back in 2001, an acquaintance who worked for Lonely Planet told me about a surprise discovery. The travel guide business had an audience of people who would buy their travel books, but never travel. Lonely Planet dubbed them “virtual tourists”. </p>
<p>Now Lonely Planet, and others, have become excited by tourism powered by <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2016/04/11/travel-tourism-virtual-reality/">virtual reality</a> (VR) – both on this planet and, thanks to NASA, on <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2018/06/25/virtual-space-tourist-nasa-exoplanet/">others</a>.</p>
<p>VR films are also being developed by travel companies, such as <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/08/virtual-reality-devices-could-transform-the-tourism-experience.html">Thomas Cook</a>. And Tourism Australia has partnered with Google to understand the <a href="http://www.tourism.australia.com/content/dam/assets/document/1/6/y/7/t/2003897.pdf">marketing potential of VR</a> (well, 360 degree panoramic videos). </p>
<p>But VR tourism isn’t only about recreating a virtual version of reality that renders travel to the destination unnecessary. It can enhance tourism in other ways – by allowing tourists to handle precious historical artefacts in virtual form, or by retelling contested histories from previously unexplored perspectives.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/tourist-attractions-are-being-transformed-by-immersive-experiences-some-lessons-from-scotland-110860">Tourist attractions are being transformed by immersive experiences – some lessons from Scotland</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What is virtual tourism?</h2>
<p>In contrast to Lonely Planet’s definition, let’s consider virtual tourism to be the application of virtual reality – including augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) – to tourism.</p>
<p>The term virtual reality is most commonly used to describe what happens when you are completely immersed in a virtual environment you can see through a headset. Enhanced forms of virtual reality allow you to interact with that environment using extra equipment, such as gloves fitted with sensors.</p>
<p>Virtual reality is also used as a catch-all term to describe the overall spectrum of digitally mediated reality, which includes virtual reality, as well as mixed reality and augmented reality. </p>
<p>Augmented reality and <a href="https://medium.com/@marknb00/what-is-mixed-reality-60e5cc284330">mixed reality</a> are computer-generated visualisations that augment our sense of the real world around us or merge the real and virtual together. You still wear a headset, but rather than blocking out the world, an AR or MR headset enables you to see visualisations within your real world surroundings.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239856/original/file-20181009-72117-nc4vy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239856/original/file-20181009-72117-nc4vy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239856/original/file-20181009-72117-nc4vy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=258&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239856/original/file-20181009-72117-nc4vy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=258&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239856/original/file-20181009-72117-nc4vy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=258&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239856/original/file-20181009-72117-nc4vy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=325&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239856/original/file-20181009-72117-nc4vy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=325&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239856/original/file-20181009-72117-nc4vy0.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=325&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">PhD student Mafkereseb Bekele demonstrates a digital underwater landscape augmented over the real world as it would appear through a Microsoft Hololens headset.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>Augmented reality and mixed reality is usually visual, but you can now get <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/12/17106688/bose-ar-audio-augmented-reality-glasses-demo-sxsw-2018">audio augmented reality</a>, that will play audio recordings through special glasses about sites you’re looking at. There is even <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/finding-out-what-the-past-smelled-like/387352/">olfactory-augmented reality</a> that can enhance your experience with smell.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/vr-technology-gives-new-meaning-to-holidaying-at-home-but-is-it-really-a-substitute-for-travel-101258">VR technology gives new meaning to ‘holidaying at home’. But is it really a substitute for travel?</a>
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<h2>Moving beyond realism</h2>
<p>Virtual reality can be more than a mirror that gives you a realistic interactive simulation of the current world: it can bring the past into the present. </p>
<p>As Sir David Attenborough has <a href="https://mashable.com/2018/05/24/david-attenborough-hold-the-world-vr/">noted</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The one thing that really frustrates you in a museum is when you see something really fascinating, you don’t want to be separated from it by glass. You want to be able to look at it and see the back of it and turn it around and so on.</p>
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<p>The London Natural History Museum’s app <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2018/march/explore-the-museum-with-sir-david-attenborough.html">Hold the World</a> gives users a chance to move and manipulate virtual objects that are fragile, expensive or remote. </p>
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<p>Virtual tourism is also breathing new life into mythology and folklore. In Denmark, there are plans to turn a virtual reality exhibition <a href="http://www.attractionsmanagement.com/index.cfm?pagetype=news&amp;codeID=332808">exploring Viking history and Norse mythology</a> into a permanent theme park. Visitors will be able to fight giants and dragons, and explore a complete “Nordic” landscape. </p>
<p>Virtual tourism can allow people to hear fresh interpretations of history. For example, the augmented reality app <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-25/app-shares-forgotten-stories-indigenous-anzacs/9690766">Dilly Bag</a> connects users with the stories of Indigenous Australian servicemen via a smartphone. </p>
<p>Stories can be told from the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-41635746">perspective of flying animals</a>, or provide thrills and spills that appear more dangerous, immediate and visceral than the real thing (see this <a href="https://www.itnews.com.au/news/inside-chinas-first-virtual-reality-theme-park-478484">VR rollercoaster theme park in China</a>). </p>
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<p>Whether virtual tourism proves to be only a pale imitation of the real thing depends on how imaginative we are.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/how-virtual-reality-is-giving-the-worlds-roller-coasters-a-new-twist-101395">How Virtual Reality is giving the world's roller coasters a new twist</a>
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<h2>How common is virtual tourism?</h2>
<p>Given the expense and complexity of virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality arguably have more potential for virtual tourism. </p>
<p>Wi-Fi, which is required for many virtual tourism experiences, is now commonplace, and many people do have their own devices. But content must be tailored to specific devices – smartphones can overheat from processing so much data, and the size of tablets can make them unwieldy. </p>
<p>The number of exciting technological showcases is matched by the number of failed or broken equipment and deserted VR centres. Hyped promises proliferate – apparently every year is the year that <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/charliefink/2017/10/20/war-of-arvrmrxr-words/%20-%20ba5adc68d074">VR, AR and MR</a> will <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-12/augmented-reality-why-2018-might-be-year-ar-goes-mainstream/9321472">break though</a>. </p>
<p>Yet any VR software and hardware currently full of promise seems to get old very, very, quickly. If we are to move past one-hit AR wonders such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-went-wrong-with-pokemon-go-three-lessons-from-its-plummeting-player-numbers-67135">Pokémon Go</a>, we need scalable yet engaging content, stable tools, appropriate evaluation research and robust infrastructure.</p>
<p>Formats such as <a href="https://webvr.info/">WebVR</a> and <a href="https://artechglobal.com.au/2018/07/20/browser-augmented-reality-2/">Web XR</a> promise to supply content across both desktops and head mounted displays, without having to download plugins. </p>
<p>But before we see virtual tourism become widespread, we need to change our preconceptions about what virtual reality is. Let’s not limit VR experiences to recreations of the real world, instead let’s open our minds to history, mythology and fresh perspectives from real people.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101528/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erik Malcolm Champion received funding for a Ph.D. Scholarship at the University of Melbourne, from an Australian Research Council SPIRT grant, with industry partner Lonely Planet Publications, 2001-2004,</span></em></p>Virtual reality can be more than a mirror that gives you a realistic simulation of the current world: it can bring the past into the present.Erik Malcolm Champion, UNESCO Chair of Cultural Heritage and Visualisation, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1105942019-02-21T04:35:59Z2019-02-21T04:35:59ZFive insights that could move tourism closer towards sustainability<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/258897/original/file-20190213-181593-1dey3z3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=107%2C377%2C5883%2C3610&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tourism is putting some natural sites under increasing pressure.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from www.shutterstock.com</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tourism is New Zealand’s biggest export earner, contributing 21% of foreign exchange earnings. The <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/tourism-satellite-account-2018">latest data</a> show tourists added NZ$39.1 billion to the economy and the industry has seen a <a href="https://tia.org.nz/about-the-industry/quick-facts-and-figures/">44% increase over the past five years</a>.</p>
<p>But tourism also brings unwanted pressures on infrastructure and natural resources. Recently, a conference focused on <a href="https://tourism-sdg.nz/">sustainability in tourism</a> and how the industry could contribute to the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), ratified in 2015 as the playbook for global development to 2030. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/were-in-the-era-of-overtourism-but-there-is-a-more-sustainable-way-forward-108906">We're in the era of overtourism but there is a more sustainable way forward</a>
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<p>The meeting challenged the <a href="https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/business/377761/tourism-spending-hits-new-record">growth agenda that continues to dominate</a> thinking in the tourism industry. The rhetoric around the SDGs came under fire for being based on ideas of utilitarianism (maximising growth and profits) and managerialism (all problems are solvable with good management). </p>
<p>An uneasy tension was evident in how sustainability is viewed. On the one hand, the narrative was one of hopelessness because sustainability in tourism is constantly counter-punched by commercialism and inequalities between locals and outsiders. On the other hand, there was hope. Sustainability in tourism should be possible because corporates allude to re-imagined approaches to social responsibility and indigenous tourism operators see SDGs as compatible with their values and needs.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/sustainable-tourism-is-not-working-heres-how-we-can-change-that-76018">'Sustainable tourism' is not working – here's how we can change that</a>
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<p>Here are five major insights on the role of tourism in sustainable development.</p>
<p><strong>1) The SDGs are not infallible</strong> </p>
<p>They are full of <a href="https://www.sei.org/perspectives/three-tensions-sustainable-development-three-tools/">contradictions and tensions</a>, and born of an institution of ultimate compromise – the United Nations. The <a href="https://outreach.un.org/mun/content/how-decisions-are-made-un">UN</a> advances progress based on a “middle ground” approach. For now, the SDGs represent accepted wisdom about what a good life might look like in 2030.</p>
<p><strong>2) Sustainability means change</strong></p>
<p>Sustainability requires a change in mindset, beliefs, assumptions, habits and behaviours – not just of some, but everyone. Everybody stands to lose if we do not <a href="https://tourism-sdg.nz/2018/07/02/tourism4sdgs/">achieve a more sustainable world</a>. </p>
<p>According to ancient <a href="http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/WasilewskiIndigeneity.pdf">indigenous wisdom</a>, we are all interconnected, and the <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/declaration-on-the-rights-of-indigenous-peoples.html">UN is beginning to appreciate that</a>. The real challenge is how we institute a shift toward sustainability, after generations of market-driven economics that will not easily release us from its grasp. Like during all major disruptions, we must address root causes to procure lasting effects. </p>
<p>In economic parlance, achieving a shift from growth to sustainability requires us to rethink the incentives and rules (carrots and sticks) we use to guide entrepreneurs and enterprises. We might see sustainability rise in the entrepreneur’s estimation because of natural catastrophes, abhorrence at widespread poverty, and when consumers demand it.</p>
<p><strong>3) We are a long way off</strong></p>
<p>Companies and policymakers are a long way off working out how to do the SDGs justice, but some are making a pretty good start. One global tourism operator, for example, immediately after a major earthquake in one of its prime destinations raised $400,000 from an appeal. They also believed that getting tourists to return would offer longer term benefits to locals, so donated 100% of the profits from travel to the region in the year after the quake to the rebuild. Their philosophy: profit first, then purpose follows. More growth enables the company to do more good. This makes sense because you cannot help anyone if you don’t have the money. But if you wait until you have money to have purpose, then sustainability is merely about economic attainment, only one strand of the many ideals within the SDGs. We should, instead, be aiming for ‘<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320658840_Inclusive_tourism_development">inclusive tourism</a>’ which moves us some way toward tourism being the transformative, partnership-centred, equitable benefit-sharing between companies and local communities that might sustain people and environments over generations.</p>
<p><strong>4) Indigenous perspective</strong></p>
<p>Indigenous knowledge presents alternative sets of values and behaviours that are inherently sustainable and <a href="http://www.humiliationstudies.org/documents/WasilewskiIndigeneity.pdf">offer potential models</a>.</p>
<p>Indigenous communities are often deprived of opportunity and resources to develop sustainable enterprises of their own. Some indigenous entrepreneurs who start their own enterprises are affected by <a href="https://webcast.massey.ac.nz/Mediasite/Play/37619a756806425ba6299c4b35f7a9561d?catalog=432aa173b9c0438db0ff29cc2e6785f521">public doubt about whether they can or should do it</a>. There is also the issue of how indigenous lands should be used – either for large-scale foreign-owned resorts that usually preclude local ownership or for small-scale locally owned ones that are accessible to locals.</p>
<p><strong>5) Customer power</strong></p>
<p>As tourists, tourism operators and tourism agencies, we ought to be prepared to look beyond the idyllic post card images to understand the undesirable consequences of tourism: waste, working conditions, water quality and impacts on the environment. It is important we become discerning customers who ask about sustainability of products and services.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110594/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jason Paul Mika receives funding from Massey University to conduct research on tourism and sustainability in indigenous communities in a project led by Professor Regina Scheyvens.</span></em></p>Can tourism ever be sustainable? Only if operators and consumers start looking beyond the idyllic postcard images and take undesirable consequences of tourism into account.Jason Paul Mika, Senior Lecturer, School of Management, Massey UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1110072019-02-07T14:06:24Z2019-02-07T14:06:24ZCommunities, mining corporations and corruption in South Africa<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257273/original/file-20190205-86224-10w4pk3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>During the apartheid era in South Africa, the mining industry operated without restraint and had undue influence over government decision-making. This created an environment where companies maximised profits at the expense of people and the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02589346.2016.1245526?scroll=top&amp;needAccess=true">environment</a>.</p>
<p>To establish whether this is still the case I did <a href="https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v7y2018i12p259-d188873.html">research</a> in Dullstroom, Mpumalanga and St. Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal. Dullstroom has a strong agri-tourism sector and is well known for its natural environment, particularly flyfishing. These attributes are now under threat from coal mining license applications. St Lucia is located near South Africa’s coastal border with Mozambique. It’s near the Great St Lucia Wetland Park, a world heritage site. </p>
<p>My research shows that some mining corporations still have influence over mining development in post-apartheid South Africa, although to a lesser degree. The study found that mining corporations, national and local government had a close relationship. Mining companies were strong arming government on how mining developments in the sector should happen. </p>
<h2>Mining houses and development</h2>
<p>The research found that corruption, poor governance and lax compliance were rife in Dullstroom. Generally, mining corporations often employed government officials to get mining licenses approved. Political connections enabled corruption between mining companies and government. </p>
<p>Practices like this have undermined laws that were passed after 1994 to control the negative effects of mining. For example, the <a href="https://www.environment.co.za/documents/legislation/NEMA-National-Environmental-Management-Act-107-1998-G-19519.pdf">National Environmental Management Act</a> stipulates that development shouldn’t be allowed if it will lead to irreversible environmental degradation. And the <a href="https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/chapter-2-bill-rights#24">South African Constitution</a> makes provision for two rights potentially affected by mining. These are the right to a healthy environment and the right to having the environment protected. </p>
<p>The introduction of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution also enshrines the right of communities to express their dissatisfaction and challenge mining laws and regulations.</p>
<p>A number of communities have used these rights to take action against government and corporate malpractice. </p>
<p>One example is a civil society coalition’s successful <a href="http://www.polity.org.za/article/high-court-refuses-mining-companys-leave-to-appeal-in-the-mabola-case-2019-01-22">defence</a> of a protected area in Mabola in the north of the country. </p>
<p>But in other instances mining companies have found ways to circumvent community resistance. One route has been to get licenses approved by bypassing proper consultation processes with residents by influencing community leaders. For example, a <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2016-05-03-choose-between-mining-and-bloodshed">community campaign</a> against Indian mining giant Jindal, to prospect for iron ore in northern KwaZulu-Natal saw traditional leaders intimidating community members who were opposed to the development. Community members accused traditional leaders of giving Jindal permission to prospect on their land without consulting them.</p>
<p>Mining companies have also used the fact that people living in communities earmarked for mining are poor, and most don’t have jobs. In the Sakhelwe township in Dullstroom, the offer of jobs was to create divisions within the area. Similarly in St Lucia the local mining company promised local residents jobs and bursaries for tertiary education to get community members on their side. </p>
<h2>Why civil society matters</h2>
<p>The influence of companies has placed a strain on South Africa’s participatory model of democracy. This should involve the government, residents and the civic community. Local communities are often not consulted meaningfully during mining development processed. </p>
<p>For now it seems that the strategies being used by civil society organisations may be the best prospect for ensuring mining companies, and the government, are forced to apply the law. </p>
<p>There have already been some notable successes. In <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2018-11-22-high-court-rules-in-favour-of-xolobeni-community-in-historic-mining-rights-case">Xolebeni in the Eastern Cape</a> the community has forced the mining company to stop a proposed development. The court judgment called for thorough consultation with the community prior to any granting of mining rights.</p>
<p>Groups such as these are gaining political momentum and support. For now, they provide the best potential for an enabling political settlement and for deliberative democracy. </p>
<p>It remains to be seen if these victories will have a wider impact on the future of mining in the country. A big question mark still hangs over whether the government, and the leadership of the African National Congress, will continue to be dictated to by corporations. </p>
<p>The signs aren’t good. The mining industry has welcomed the election of new leaders to run the ANC, signalling that it offers a new dawn for <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/economy/miningindaba-sa-mining-industry-pledges-to-work-with-govt-to-revive-economy-13047259">collaboration</a>. </p>
<p>It also remains to be seen how civil society and local communities are able to organise and respond to any risks over mining development. This includes how local leaders will engage with their constituencies over future mining developments.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/111007/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Llewellyn Leonard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Before democracy South Africa's mining sector prioritised profits over the people and environment. Not much has changed.Llewellyn Leonard, Professor Environmental Science, University of South AfricaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1053752019-01-08T04:36:59Z2019-01-08T04:36:59ZBusinesses think they're on top of carbon risk, but tourism destinations have barely a clue<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252608/original/file-20190107-32136-u479cy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C4846%2C3231&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tourism accounts for 8% of global emissions, much of it from planes. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The directors of most Australian companies are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/company-directors-climate-change-australia-2018-10">well aware</a> of the impact of carbon emissions, not only on the environment but also on their own firms as emissions-intensive industries get lumbered with taxes and regulations designed to change their behaviour.</p>
<p>Many are getting out of emissions-intensive activities <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-fossil-fuel-divestment-game-is-getting-bigger-thanks-to-the-smaller-players-65109">ahead of time</a>.</p>
<p>But, with <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/government/carbon-neutral/publications/factsheet-blue-mountains">honourable exceptions</a>, Australia’s tourism industry (and the Australian authorities that support it) is rolling on as if it’s business as usual.</p>
<p>This could be because tourism isn’t a single industry – it is a composite, made up of many industries that together create an experience, none of which take responsibility for the whole thing. </p>
<p>But tourism is a huge contributor to emissions, accounting for <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-018-0141-x">8% of emissions worldwide</a> and climbing as tourism grows faster than the economies it contributes to.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/the-carbon-footprint-of-tourism-revealed-its-bigger-than-we-thought-96200">The carbon footprint of tourism revealed (it's bigger than we thought)</a>
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<p>Tourism operators are aiming for even faster growth, most of them apparently oblivious to <a href="https://tourismdashboard.org/">clear evidence</a> about what their industry is doing and the risks it is buying more heavily into.</p>
<h2>If tourism destinations were companies…</h2>
<p>If Australian tourist destinations were companies they would be likely to discuss the risks to their operating models from higher taxes, higher oil prices, extra regulation, and changes in consumer preferences. </p>
<p>Aviation is one of the biggest tourism-related emitters, with the regions that depend on air travel heavily exposed. </p>
<p>But at present the destination-specific carbon footprints from aviation are not recorded, making it difficult for destinations to assess the risks.</p>
<p>A recent paper published in Tourism Management has attempted to fill the gap, publishing <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517718302589">nine indicators for every airport in the world</a>.</p>
<p>The biggest emitter in terms of departing passengers is Los Angeles International Airport, producing 765 kilo-tonnes of CO₂ in just one month; January 2017. </p>
<p>When taking into account passenger volumes, one of the airports with the highest emissions per traveller is Buenos Aires. The average person departing that airport emits 391 kilograms of CO₂ and travels a distance of 5,651 km. </p>
<p>The analysis used Brisbane as one of four case studies.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249375/original/file-20181206-128199-4eacve.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249375/original/file-20181206-128199-4eacve.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=275&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249375/original/file-20181206-128199-4eacve.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=275&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249375/original/file-20181206-128199-4eacve.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=275&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249375/original/file-20181206-128199-4eacve.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=346&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249375/original/file-20181206-128199-4eacve.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=346&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249375/original/file-20181206-128199-4eacve.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=346&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Most of the journeys to Brisbane are long.</span>
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<p>Brisbane’s share of itineraries under 400 km is very low at 0.7% (compared with destinations such as Copenhagen which has 9.1%). That indicates a relatively low potential to survive carbon risk by pivoting to public transport or electric planes, as Norway is <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180814-norways-plan-for-a-fleet-of-electric-planes">planning to</a>.</p>
<p>The average distance travelled from Brisbane is 2,852 km, a span exceeded by Auckland (4,561 km) but few other places.</p>
<p>As it happens, Brisbane Airport is working hard to minimise <a href="https://bne.com.au/corporate/community-and-environment/environment-and-sustainability">its on-the-ground environmental impact</a>, but that’s not where its greatest threats come from.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/airline-emissions-and-the-case-for-a-carbon-tax-on-flight-tickets-56598">Airline emissions and the case for a carbon tax on flight tickets</a>
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<p>The indicators suggest that the destinations at most risk are islands, and those “off the beaten track” – the kind of destinations that tourism operators are increasingly keen to develop. </p>
<p>Queensland’s <a href="https://www.ditid.qld.gov.au/tourism">Outback Tourism Infrastructure Fund</a> was established to do exactly that. It would be well advised to shift its focus to products that will survive even under scenarios of extreme decarbonisation. </p>
<p>They could include low-carbon transport systems and infrastructure, and a switch to domestic rather than international tourists.</p>
<p>Experience-based travel, slow travel and staycations are likely to become the future of tourism as holidaymakers continue to enjoy the things that tourism has always delivered, but without travelling as much and without burning as much carbon to do it. </p>
<p>An industry concerned about its future would start transforming now.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/sustainable-shopping-is-it-possible-to-fly-sustainably-88636">Sustainable shopping: is it possible to fly sustainably?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/105375/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susanne Becken does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Other industries plan for the future, but the tourism industry is acting as if responses to climate change will leave it untouched.Susanne Becken, Professor of Sustainable Tourism and Director, Griffith Institute for Tourism, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1088662019-01-03T10:11:47Z2019-01-03T10:11:47ZHow Macau became the world's casino capital<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251285/original/file-20181218-27770-7c5266.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/skyline-macau-by-sea-592345484?src=OISDON-jQR9GzQ1YgnFBsQ-1-1">shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Macau is China’s answer to Las Vegas. But the former Portuguese colony has long surpassed the City of Lights as the world’s casino capital, with revenue from gambling receipts exceeding the entire state of Nevada <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09512748.2014.995127">back in 2010</a>. As well as drawing in the punters, it has the glittering architecture to match.</p>
<p>The story of Macau is one of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275117308995">globalisation and the rise of China</a>. It is a globalisation story because of the role played by foreign multinational casino companies. And it is a story of the rise of China because it has been the economic prosperity of its citizens that has allowed them in great numbers to travel, see the world, and gamble. </p>
<p>Macau returned to Chinese rule in 1999 as a special administrative region, which means it has different laws to the mainland. It is the only part of Greater China (which includes China, Hong Kong and Macau) where gambling is legal, making it the country’s sole gambling destination. </p>
<p>In the years before the 1999 handover, the environment in Macau was fraught, with organised crime a violent presence competing for access to the sub-contracted VIP gaming rooms. These VIP rooms, which host high stake games in a private setting, are another dynamic behind Macau’s success. They made the Macau gambling experience different from that of other casino destinations. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252219/original/file-20190102-32133-16ivpaq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252219/original/file-20190102-32133-16ivpaq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252219/original/file-20190102-32133-16ivpaq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252219/original/file-20190102-32133-16ivpaq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252219/original/file-20190102-32133-16ivpaq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252219/original/file-20190102-32133-16ivpaq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252219/original/file-20190102-32133-16ivpaq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Macau makes its big money from VIP rooms.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Benny Marty / Shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>Macau’s focus on high-spending customers, with private rooms and special privileges – rather than mass market gamblers – is the source of much of the casinos’ revenue. Casinos were originally built around VIP rooms. These were sub-contracted to gambling promoters who shared in the profits from bringing in wealthy gamblers. These high rollers made up <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275117308995#f0020">66% of total casino revenues in 2013</a>.</p>
<h2>International investment</h2>
<p>Casino operations generate substantial tax revenue for the government: in 2001 it was 40% of <a href="https://www.dsec.gov.mo/Statistic.aspx?NodeGuid=8ef1e6ac-47a3-4a56-b9e1-9925ca493549">all tax revenue collected</a>. Ten years later, government income from casino gaming taxes amounted to 81% of all tax revenue collected. This massive change is the result of the decision to open up the casino industry and invite foreign firms to compete for a casino license. </p>
<p>Until 2001, only one company was licensed to operate casinos and for four decades this was monopolised by a company called Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau, SA (STDM). From 2002, casino licences were awarded to several foreign multinational firms and joint ventures. This included big firms from Australia, Hong Kong and the US, with recognisable names from Vegas, such as Las Vegas Sands, MGM, Galaxy and Wynn Resorts. </p>
<p>They invested heavily in big new casino resort complexes, with luxury hotels and high-end shopping malls. Given Macau’s tiny size – it originally consisted of a mainland peninsula and two small islands measuring 11.6 square kilometres in 1912 – land reclamation projects were necessary to host the burgeoning industry. By 2010, the <a href="http://yearbook.gcs.gov.mo/uploads/yearbook_pdf/2018/myb2018ePA01CH21.pdf">territory measured 29.7 square kilometres</a>, including six square kilometres of new land connecting the small islands of Coloane to Taipa, which plays host to the big casino complexes.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252218/original/file-20190102-32130-1ofnzgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252218/original/file-20190102-32130-1ofnzgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252218/original/file-20190102-32130-1ofnzgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252218/original/file-20190102-32130-1ofnzgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252218/original/file-20190102-32130-1ofnzgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252218/original/file-20190102-32130-1ofnzgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252218/original/file-20190102-32130-1ofnzgq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The Venetian Macao, modelled on the Las Vegas original, is the largest casino in the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">jeafish Ping / Shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>These new casinos have provided some employment opportunities for local citizens, but the greater impact for the economy has been the tourist visitor numbers and the tax revenue generated. After a decade of ever-increasing growth in gaming revenue with the opening of new casinos, tax revenue from the sector peaked in 2014 and then declined after China’s president, Xi Jinping instituted a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-corruption-crackdown-deals-macau-a-rough-hand-1425364603">widespread anti-corruption campaign</a>. </p>
<p>The VIP gaming rooms in Macau became seen by the government in Beijing as a massive leakage of capital from the Chinese economy. A large part of the big money being gambled by these VIPs was seen as the proceeds of corruption <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/macau-gambling-revenue-drops-again-1406871798">and bribery on the mainland</a>.</p>
<p>In 2014, gaming tax revenue provided 84% of the Macau government’s total revenue; by 2017 it had declined to 79%. But these percentages conceal the decline in the actual amount available to the government, from US$20.1 billion in 2014 to <a href="https://www.dsec.gov.mo/Statistic.aspx?NodeGuid=8ef1e6ac-47a3-4a56-b9e1-9925ca493549">US$15.7 billion in 2017</a>. This is because a number of Chinese elites eschewed Macau’s casinos <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1813110/junket-operators-look-beyond-macau-sidestep-beijings">to avoid scrutiny</a> during Xi’s corruption crackdown.</p>
<p>Casino revenue now appears to have stabilised, helped by a move in Macau away from relying on the VIP sector and towards mass market entertainment. The government has also encouraged diversification beyond the casino gaming room and, like Las Vegas, it is looking to attract exhibitions and events to be held there. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/22/longest-sea-bridge-to-open-china-hong-kong-zhuhai-macau-permi">new bridge</a> connecting Macau with Hong Kong should support increasing tourist visits by easing travel to the territory, further supporting diversification. But Macau must increasingly contend with neighbouring rivals. The anti-corruption campaign encouraged Chinese gamblers to visit other Asian casino destinations, including new resorts in Singapore and Manila in the Philippines. </p>
<p>Modern Macau is built on China’s rise and the increased wealth of its citizens that this has brought. Macau’s continued success is contingent on its ability to attract the mass market gambler, along with other tourists, as a vacation destination. As China’s middle class <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-middle-class-is-exploding-2016-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">continues to grow</a>, it should guarantee a steady supply for years to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108866/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>William Vlcek ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d&#39;une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n&#39;a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son poste universitaire.</span></em></p>The story of Macau is one of globalisation and the rise of China.William Vlcek, Senior Lecturer in Global Political Economy, University of St AndrewsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1070452018-12-12T12:15:21Z2018-12-12T12:15:21ZThe business of Santa Claus in Lapland – a magical marketing gift<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249293/original/file-20181206-128196-12nfo28.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/1219316851?src=kji9t1e4OOkMg7GKh2jE-w-1-27&amp;size=medium_jpg">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Christmas has enormous <a href="https://theconversation.com/christmas-and-commerce-have-long-gone-together-like-two-turtle-doves-34719">economic significance</a>. As a regular and popular tradition, it lends itself to new ideas and innovation at a time of year when people expect to spend money. New businesses (and jobs) have emerged for party organisers, <a href="http://www.thechristmasdecorators.co.uk">decorating services</a> and theme parks. </p>
<p>There is also plenty of economic activity going on behind the familiar festive scenes – because Christmas is not just about shopping – it is about the experience of Christmas. </p>
<p>Part of that experience of course is Santa Claus, himself an extraordinary success story in the world of marketing. As <a href="https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/experts-predict-ho-ho-holidays-ahead/315493/">Christmas spending</a> begins earlier every year, his image is everywhere – used to boost advertising, sales and the seasonal spirit. </p>
<p>And it’s not just the image – we want to see him in person too. So his home is recreated in Christmas grottoes, allowing children to plead for presents in shopping malls, department stores, and winter theme parks.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/tears-jeers-and-bullying-elves-tough-at-top-for-super-santas-21693">Tears, jeers and bullying elves – tough at top for super Santas</a>
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<p>People are even happy to travel considerable distances to meet Santa in his “real” faraway home. Festively-minded tourists fill planes to northern Finland to experience the magic of Father Christmas in an authentic setting, surrounded by snow, ice, and reindeer. </p>
<p>I have been <a href="http://www.research.lancs.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/-(a295013f-fc37-4e1b-a38b-b0cf61fad31e).html">researching</a> this phenomenon in Enontekiö, a small, remote and sparsely populated Finnish area about 300km north of Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland. With claims to be the <a href="http://www.enontekio.fi/en/">“true Lapland”</a>, Enontekiö is geologically and scenically different from the rest of Finland with particularly long, snowy winters. It is not connected with the country’s rail network, but has had an airport since 1980. </p>
<p>Due to its northern location, Enontekiö has the advantage of early first snow, but lacks accommodation capacity to grow. However, its small size and the fact that it is far from ski centres and touristic areas make the experience perhaps more peaceful and even more “authentic”. </p>
<p>And for one month every year, people and organisations come together to create an experience for tourists who travel from far and wide to experience an “authentic” Christmas. It’s the culmination of work by a range businesses and entrepreneurs, agencies, and tourism boards. So how did it all materialise? </p>
<h2>Santa’s true home?</h2>
<p>Like his appearance (the red suit and black boots were <a href="https://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/coke-lore-santa-claus">popularised by Coca Cola</a> adverts), Santa’s geographical origins and home have long been <a href="https://daily.jstor.org/what-santa-claus-looks-like/">argued over</a>. The North Pole, Greenland and Lapland all have a case to make. </p>
<p>Yet Lapland’s claim is fairly recent – a few decades ago, nobody considered this part of Finland to have anything to do with Father Christmas. Today, it is one of the top destinations for tourists around the world eager to visit Santa’s home. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249288/original/file-20181206-128187-e1um4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249288/original/file-20181206-128187-e1um4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249288/original/file-20181206-128187-e1um4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249288/original/file-20181206-128187-e1um4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249288/original/file-20181206-128187-e1um4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249288/original/file-20181206-128187-e1um4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249288/original/file-20181206-128187-e1um4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">All is calm in Rovaniemi.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/rovaniemi-santa-claus-village-368267819?src=kji9t1e4OOkMg7GKh2jE-w-1-20">Shutter stock</a></span>
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<p>Its favoured place in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/016073839400026O">modern story of Christmas</a> began in 1927 when a self-professed “good friend of Santa” called Markus, the host of a Finnish children’s radio programme, revealed on air that Santa’s secret home was located near a hill on the Finnish-Russian border called Korvatunturi (it translates to English as “Ear Fell”). </p>
<p>To protect his actual hiding place, Santa began hosting visitors in nearby Rovaniemi, which gradually became known as <a href="https://santaclausvillage.info">Santa Claus Village</a>, the capital of Finnish Lapland and the official hometown of Father Christmas. </p>
<p>In 1950 a special cabin was built there to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20732080">host a distinguished visitor</a>, America’s former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. The attention and publicity this visit created marked an important step in building Finnish tourism markets based on Santa Claus and the Christmas season. </p>
<p>On December 25 1984, the <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/1987/1215/lchris.html">first Concorde flight</a> from the UK landed with around 100 British tourists for a day trip to meet Santa in Rovaniemi. This monumental day meant the introduction of Christmas charter flights to Finnish Lapland, which have continued to operate each year since, growing in number and expanding to other nearby locations including Enontekiö. </p>
<p>In fact, in Enontekiö, tourism is the main source of economic activity, and the Christmas season plays a vital role. The town’s airport is rarely open outside the Christmas season and in 2017, <a href="https://www.finavia.fi/sites/default/files/documents/Matkustajam%C3%A4%C3%A4r%C3%A4t%20lentoasemittain_0.pdf">served 24,752 foreigners</a> and only 785 native travellers. </p>
<p>Beyond the airport, the work of translating the myth into a material market network involves imagining, discussing, proposing, negotiating and contracting among a range of different businesses. </p>
<p>Safari tour operators employ the tour guides and elves. I did a few seasons as an elf myself from 2001 to 2003 to earn extra cash as a student. It was hard work, standing outside welcoming visitors in freezing weather (-40°C on some days), but at the same time very rewarding – people were so happy to meet Santa. (The Santas are often recruited from the UK, because they are familiar with the cultural intricacies and toy trends of the huge number of British visitors.) </p>
<h2>The white stuff</h2>
<p>Entrepreneurs get involved in the spectacle, including reindeer and husky farmers, snowmobile renters and drivers, and the snow castle builders. A wide range of resources and skills all come together in true Christmas spirit. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249289/original/file-20181206-128187-wk7w5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249289/original/file-20181206-128187-wk7w5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249289/original/file-20181206-128187-wk7w5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249289/original/file-20181206-128187-wk7w5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249289/original/file-20181206-128187-wk7w5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249289/original/file-20181206-128187-wk7w5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/249289/original/file-20181206-128187-wk7w5j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=502&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">One of Santa’s villages in Finland.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/1219316851?src=kji9t1e4OOkMg7GKh2jE-w-1-27&amp;size=medium_jpg">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Of course, some elements of the myth are easier to come by (snow, coldness, a hut in the middle of the forest) than others (reindeer do not fly). The myth becomes reality, the details of the myth become economic facts, and the result, when the right conditions are in place, is a magically merry Christmas.</p>
<p>One of the reasons Lapland has become the ideal destination for Christmas tourism is the reliability of snowy scenes. But nature makes no guarantees. After some unusually warm weather, 2018 has had a <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/europe/lapland-holiday-advice-youve-booked-13696883">problem with the snow</a>. Unfortunately, postponing Christmas to January is not possible, so fingers have been crossed for the white stuff to arrive. </p>
<p>But whatever the weather, Santa and his reindeer will be there working their magic, and Christmas will not be cancelled.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107045/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Teea Palo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A former elf looks into the work that goes into an authentic Christmas experience.Teea Palo, Lecturer in Marketing, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1045802018-11-01T14:21:40Z2018-11-01T14:21:40ZWhy conservation success stories in Tanzania need a closer look<p>By several accounts, 2018 has been a <a href="https://theconversation.com/community-based-wildlife-conservation-is-bringing-success-to-tanzania-92537">great year</a> for community-based conservation in Tanzania. </p>
<p>Research papers and reports by conservation scientists and non-governmental organisations suggest that community-based interventions are <a href="https://blog.conservation.org/2018/02/study-to-make-conservation-go-viral-keep-it-simple-social/">popular</a>, eagerly <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12442">adopted</a> and have <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/99/2/459/4911367">positive ecological impacts</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12461">But</a> <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jmammal/gyy118/5112950">our</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X15312821">research</a> suggests that a closer look is needed. </p>
<p>Contrary to narratives of conservation success, we <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12461">illustrate</a> that, by and large, community-based conservation in Tanzania has spread through top-down, donor-ﬁnanced implementation. </p>
<p>What’s more, we <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jmammal/gyy118/5112950">also question</a> narratives of ecological success. These narratives are based on simplistic ecological concepts which misrepresent socio-ecological complexities on the ground. </p>
<p>We urge researchers, non-governmental organisations, funders, and the media to consider more carefully how their work affects rural communities. Inaccurate narratives can cause harm, conflict and resistance. Ultimately, they can even <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08039410.2010.516406">undermine</a> long-term conservation objectives.</p>
<h2>The narrative vs the reality</h2>
<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/conl.12461">Research</a> shows that many conservation initiatives in Tanzania are not eagerly adopted. In fact, some have been <a href="http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2016;volume=14;issue=3;spage=232;epage=242;aulast=Moyo">imposed</a> despite <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dech.12055">resistance</a> by local communities. Many residents <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08039410.2010.516406">fear</a> becoming economically dispossessed, losing their land, or both.</p>
<p>Tanzania’s flagship Wildlife Management Area, Burunge, is a case in point. It shows that simple narratives of success quickly fall apart under critical scrutiny. </p>
<p>Burunge is a community-based conservation project established in the 2000s in 10 villages. In financial terms, Burunge may be called a “success”. It generates several hundred thousand US dollars in revenue per year from tourism. But, with a population of more than 30,000, Burunge’s per capita income is <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/pima/docs/publications/Policy-Brief-No-04-2015.pdf">negligible</a>.</p>
<p>More importantly, residents are expected to pay a high price in return for tourism revenues. As one of us has <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016718517300969">documented</a>, the Wildlife Management Area is characterised by deeply divisive politics of coercive land appropriation for tourism. Residents and their livestock are kept out of dry season grazing areas so that wealthy tourists can enjoy luxury wilderness experiences.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, there are reports that Burunge is a successfully implemented and <a href="https://news.psu.edu/story/530370/2018/08/13/research/community-based-conservation-management-has-positive-effect">locally run</a> initiative. But these reports don’t take into account that residents have been <a href="http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2016;volume=14;issue=3;spage=218;epage=231;aulast=Bluwstein">protesting</a> against their exclusion from key livestock grazing areas since it was established. Stories of success disregard this reality of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03066150.2012.667405">green grabbing</a>.</p>
<p>Conservation biologists also make scientifically questionable claims about the alleged <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/99/2/459/4911367">ecological</a> <a href="https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.21549">success</a> of conservation interventions. Such claims are based on the assumption that a reduced livestock density and an increasing wildlife density constitute a better ecological state of the environment. </p>
<p>We <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jmammal/gyy118/5112950">take issue</a> with this simple concept being applied to an ecologically dynamic, semi-arid environment of Northern Tanzania. The ecological conditions in the area are far more <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1161546">complex</a> than simple changes in livestock and wildlife densities. </p>
<p>Such studies do not evaluate the ecological impact of conservation. They simply report if conservation rules have been successfully enforced. Failing to distinguish between <em>conservation</em> and <em>ecology</em>, such studies simply conflate the two.</p>
<p>However, conservation objectives are not necessarily the same as ecologically sound objectives.</p>
<h2>The politics and ethics of selling success</h2>
<p>But why are stories of success so widespread in conservation despite little evidence to support them? </p>
<p>One reason is that individuals and organisations <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17531055.2017.1356622">have</a> a stake in marketing success stories. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X13002659">Selling success</a> is an important <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X15312821">commodity</a> in conservation.</p>
<p>To us, it’s ethically problematic to suggest that Tanzania’s community-based conservation is on a path of success. This narrative obscures the politics of <a href="https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/tanzania-safari-businesses-maasai-losing-serengeti">coercive conservation</a> in the country. </p>
<p>We care about people and the environment, and we would like to see humans and animals (domestic and wild) thrive. Yet as scientists, we also have a responsibility to avoid contributing further to the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/joac.12271">marginalisation and dispossession</a> of the most vulnerable people in the places we study and care about. </p>
<p>The rocky road towards a sustainable vision of human-animal interactions cannot be separated from broader <a href="https://africanarguments.org/2018/03/02/tanzania-everyone-is-scared/">political and economic processes</a> in Tanzania. Scientists, conservation and development practitioners, cannot remove themselves from this reality. </p>
<p>By defining what success – and by extension failure – looks like in coercive conservation, we help create a particular reality. In this reality, the weakest members of society are blamed when interventions, whose terms are dictated by others, fail.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104580/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jens Friis Lund receives funding from The Danish Council for Development Research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jevgeniy Bluwstein and Peadar Brehony do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Narratives about successful community-based conservation efforts in Tanzania need to be probed.Jevgeniy Bluwstein, Senior lecturer in human geography, University of FribourgJens Friis Lund, Professor of political ecology, University of CopenhagenPeadar Brehony, PhD Student, University of CambridgeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1060272018-10-31T12:29:32Z2018-10-31T12:29:32ZVenice is flooded, but other cities are in much greater danger<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243231/original/file-20181031-76390-1df9855.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=34%2C17%2C3814%2C2579&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Piazza San Marco during Venice&#39;s acqua alta (flooding). </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/st-marks-square-piazza-san-marco-504909022?src=xhYJ8B5ygi42GPT2zJQziw-1-0">Shutterstock.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Venice has flooded. But while worry about the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/30/world/europe/venice-floods-italy.html">worst floods</a> in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/29/venice-experiences-worst-flooding-since-2008">decade</a> and warnings about the impacts of <a href="http://fortune.com/2018/10/30/venice-flooding-italy-flood-barriers-october-2018/">climate change</a> and <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/30/europe/venice-flooding-intl/index.html">sea level rise</a> dominate most of the media coverage, there’s a more complex story to be told. </p>
<p>In Venice, floods are a feature, not a bug. The city was founded by people fleeing the Huns. They were safe in the lagoon (a word borrowed from Venetian), where horses and armoured men could not advance: the soggy ground would slow the enemy, the tide would wash them out. </p>
<p>Halfway between land and sea, trade is the only way to make a living. And so Venetians became <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-economic-history-of-venice-2012-8?IR=T">successful merchants</a> and built a magnificent city, with dazzling palaces and splendid churches filled with delightful works of art. </p>
<p>That city would flood every so often, when the tide was high and the wind pushed the waters of the Adriatic up north. But Venetian buildings are designed to withstand this, and city life bustles around the water.</p>
<h2>The cost of protection</h2>
<p>Venice has changed – it is primarily a tourist attraction now. Many locals have <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/World/2016/1112/Venexodus-Why-residents-are-fleeing-fragile-Venice-Italy">moved out</a>, their houses converted to hotels, restaurants and holiday homes. The floods have changed, too. The rising sea pushes the flood waters ever higher, and this will <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00382-009-0617-5">get worse in the future</a>. Stronger winds would exacerbate the problem.</p>
<p>The impact of climate change and sea level rise is moderated by adaptation. The Sumerians, the earliest known civilisation in Mesopotamia, knew how to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12685-015-0127-9">build a dyke</a>: 5,000 years have passed since, and we have learned a lot about how to protect our coasts. </p>
<p>Some places are easy to protect. The Piazza del Duomo in Pisa is vulnerable to erosion, but there is plenty of foreshore to build a dyke without spoiling the view of the Leaning Tower. London will <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/feb/19/thames-barrier-how-safe-london-major-flood-at-risk">need a new barrier</a> eventually, and the only thing standing in its way is the government’s ability to decide and deliver large infrastructure projects.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243235/original/file-20181031-76387-5r2y6x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/243235/original/file-20181031-76387-5r2y6x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243235/original/file-20181031-76387-5r2y6x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243235/original/file-20181031-76387-5r2y6x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243235/original/file-20181031-76387-5r2y6x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243235/original/file-20181031-76387-5r2y6x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/243235/original/file-20181031-76387-5r2y6x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Ruin the view at King’s Landing?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dubrovnik-old-city-croatia-fortress-106569842?src=ILf8FPr70vXfm-WOjMpSkQ-1-21">Shutterstock.</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Other places are much harder to protect. You can build a seawall in Miami but the water would seep right under it. A seawall would be effective in Dubrovnik but would spoil the Old City. A glass wall would be more appropriate, and expensive. Costs are a concern too in <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/183">Leptis Magna</a> – an ancient Roman city in Libya – as are <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security/three-kidnapped-turkish-engineers-released-in-southern-libya-idUSKBN1JK02G">kidnappings of skilled engineers</a>.</p>
<h2>Off the tourist trail</h2>
<p>Research shows that cultural heritage is <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-06645-9">particularly vulnerable</a> to sea level rise. Of 49 cultural world heritage sites located in low-lying coastal areas of the Mediterranean, 37 are at risk from a 100-year flood and 42 from coastal erosion. Up to the year 2100, flood risk may increase by 50% and erosion risk by 13% across the region, with considerably higher increases at individual world heritage sites.</p>
<p>Although Venice faces a serious threat from flooding, tourism generates so much money that the city can afford to protect itself. As a matter of fact, after the record floods of 1966, authorities decided to protect Venice. It took a while to agree on the design and the financing. Construction began in 2003 on a set of movable barriers that lie flat on the sea floor for most of the time, but close the inlets of the lagoon during high tides. </p>
<p>This set-up maintains the ecology and hydrology of the lagoon roughly as it is today, which is important as it is the <a href="https://www.ramsar.org/news/the-lagoon-of-venice-as-a-ramsar-site">largest tidal marsh</a> in the Mediterranean. The first tests of the barriers have already been conducted. Full scale testing should commence in January 2019, and the project is due to be completed in 2022.</p>
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<p>Reports of the death of Venice are premature: €6 billion was spent to make sure it will not drown below the rising sea. Why? Because it‘s worth it. The media focus on the impacts of sea level rise on places such as Venice feeds the needs of sensationalists. Many people have been there, or would like to go. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/may/26/venice-tourists-cruise-ships-pollution-italy-biennale">30m people visited</a> Venice last year. The alarm is raised by the threat of seeing an iconic city destroyed by climate change. Except that in this case, the threat is baseless.</p>
<p>That is not to say that sea level rise is no concern. Cities such as Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, Accra in Ghana, Chittagong in Bangladesh, Jakarta in Indonesia, Lagos in Nigeria and Mumbai in India will face greater challenges, when it comes to shielding themselves from the rising sea. Poor and disorganised, the authorities have a hard time providing <a href="https://academic.oup.com/oxrep/article/33/3/355/3926162">basic public services</a> – they can ill afford a multi-billion dollar project to protect the coast. </p>
<p>The most worrying impacts of climate change will fall on those unable to adapt, and places off the beaten track face far greater obstacles than those on the tourist trail. Al Gore described climate change as a moral problem. Perhaps we should focus less on the cities and sights we know, which are ultimately safer from climate change, and more on the real destruction that climate change will cause.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/106027/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Tol received funding for research on the impacts of sea level rise from the European Commission, DG Research and Innovation. </span></em></p>For many world heritage sites, flood risks are increasing. But what about places that don't have the funds for protection?Richard Tol, Professor of Economics, University of SussexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1048542018-10-16T05:39:56Z2018-10-16T05:39:56ZGreen light for Tasmanian wilderness tourism development defied expert advice<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240418/original/file-20181012-119126-dc88di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=7%2C0%2C2580%2C1726&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">At least 30 tourism developments have been proposed for Tasmania&#39;s World Heritage-listed wilderness.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>The Commonwealth government’s decision to wave through a controversial tourism development in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area was made in defiance of strident opposition from the expert statutory advisory body for the region’s management, <a href="https://twitter.com/giblinite/status/1052020975775014912">it was revealed today</a>.</p>
<p>In August, federal environment minister Melissa Price’s office <a href="http://epbcnotices.environment.gov.au/_entity/annotation/d3c5c54d-18af-e811-b817-005056ba00a7/a71d58ad-4cba-48b6-8dab-f3091fc31cd5?t=1539327928331">decided</a> the proposed luxury development on Halls Island did not need to be assessed under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. </p>
<p>But according to documents tabled in Tasmania’s parliament by the Greens this morning, the state’s <a href="https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?id=1715">National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council</a> had advised the opposite, as well as recommending that the proposal should not be approved at all in its current form. The council also argued “contentious projects” like this one should not be considered for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area without “an agreed framework to guide assessment”.</p>
<p>This situation is not unique, and reveals a deeper problem with our national environmental laws. They may look strong on paper, but their strength can be eroded by bureaucratic discretion.</p>
<h2>From conservation to commercialisation</h2>
<p>Tasmania’s wilderness has long been ground zero for the struggle between conservation and commercialisation of our natural estate. In the 1980s, the Commonwealth government nominated the area for <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/181">World Heritage listing</a> to stop the state government building a hydroelectric dam on one of Australia’s last truly wild rivers. </p>
<p>The “locking up” of large parts of wilderness from industrial development has prompted deep social divisions. Nevertheless, the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) has since become part of Tasmania’s cultural and natural fabric. Yet this wilderness is now under renewed threat, as commercial interests seek to capitalise on its tourism potential.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/explainer-wilderness-and-why-it-matters-36591">Explainer: wilderness, and why it matters</a>
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</em>
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<p>World Heritage Areas must have an up-to-date management plan to ensure compliance with Australia’s obligations under the <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/">World Heritage Convention</a>. In 2016 the Commonwealth and Tasmanian governments <a href="https://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/Documents/TWWHA_Management_Plan_2016.pdf">revised the TWWHA management plan</a> to reflect its “socio-economic” value, allowing a range of tourism uses that were banned under the previous 1999 plan. </p>
<p>The World Heritage Committee <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6290/">warned in 2015</a> that without “strict criteria for new tourism development”, there would be significant risks to the area’s “wilderness character and cultural attributes”. Australia accepted the recommendation but has still not meaningfully implemented strict criteria to assess and protect wilderness values, even as it accepts proposals for tourism developments.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240388/original/file-20181012-119123-mwlla0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240388/original/file-20181012-119123-mwlla0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240388/original/file-20181012-119123-mwlla0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=762&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240388/original/file-20181012-119123-mwlla0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=762&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240388/original/file-20181012-119123-mwlla0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=762&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240388/original/file-20181012-119123-mwlla0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=957&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240388/original/file-20181012-119123-mwlla0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=957&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240388/original/file-20181012-119123-mwlla0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=957&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Proposed commercial infrastructure projects involving built structures, transport, and modification of the natural environment in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, which have received preliminary or final approvals at October 2018. 30 proposals have been made and additional projects are likely to be announced as the EOI process continues.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(c) Nick Fitzgerald 2018.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Since both levels of government agreed to open up the TWHHA, a range of commercial interests have proposed tourism developments there. Expressions of interest for commercial developments are done behind closed doors, but it is clear that <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-12/hodgman-challenged-over-lake-malbena-development/9860202">at least 30 commercial development proposals have been made</a> for sites in the TWWHA, including projects involving permanent huts, lodges and camps, and some that would necessitate helicopter access.</p>
<h2>Halls Island</h2>
<p>The first of these proposals to be released for public comment and assessed under the 2016 management plan is a plan to build a “luxury standing camp and guided ecotourism experience” at Halls Island in <a href="https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=3904">Walls of Jerusalem National Park</a> – a remote highland region of the TWWHA. </p>
<p>The plan includes <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-12/hodgman-challenged-over-lake-malbena-development/9860202">reclassifying the lake surrounding Halls Island from “wilderness” to “self-reliant recreation”</a>. On March 22, 2018, the proponent (Wild Drake Pty Ltd) <a href="http://epbcnotices.environment.gov.au/_entity/annotation/6fdfc222-f732-e811-886f-005056ba00a8/a71d58ad-4cba-48b6-8dab-f3091fc31cd5?t=1539138560646">referred the proposal to the Commonwealth Environment Minister</a> to determine whether it should be formally assessed under the EPBC Act.</p>
<p>Upon referral the proposal met with widespread opposition from <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328262046_Marthick_and_Worth_2018_8177_Wild_Drake_Pty_Ltd">scientists</a>, <a href="http://tnpa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Lk-Malbena-development-briefing-notes-EPBC-referral-submissions-v2.pdf">conservation specialists</a>, <a href="https://www.wilderness.org.au/news-events/the-wild-drake-proposal-make-a-submission">civil society</a>, and recreational users of the park, especially the <a href="https://www.examiner.com.au/story/5687886/fishers-and-walkers-group-to-rally-against-helicopter-access/">fishing community</a>. What became clear today is that it was also strongly opposed by the expert advisory council for the TWWHA.</p>
<h2>Expert advice</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?id=1715">National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council (NPWAC)</a> is a statutory body of independent experts, with responsibility to advise on the management of the TWHHA in line with Australia’s national and international World Heritage commitments. <a href="https://twitter.com/giblinite/status/1052020975775014912">The documents released today</a> show that on July 13 2018, the NPWAC argued strongly against the proposal being allowed to proceed, stating that it “does not support this project progressing at this time”.</p>
<p>It cited a range of objections, including the fact that the development would effectively grant “exclusive private commercial use” of an area in the TWWHA, and that the opening up of airspace to helicopters would set an unwelcome precedent. It also described the development’s planned “standing camp” as a “pretence” because it would involve the construction of permanent buildings for year-round use. And it pointed to the proposal’s failure to address adequately the risk to threatened species and the fire-sensitive nature of the property.</p>
<p>Like the World Heritage Committee, NPWAC argued that the range of projects currently proposed for the TWWHA “should not be considered until there is an agreed framework to guide assessment”. Yet despite this, the minister’s delegate allowed the proposal to proceed without further assessment under the EPBC Act.</p>
<h2>Commonwealth government’s decision</h2>
<p>On August 31, 2018, the delegate of the minister decided that the referred action “is not a controlled action”, which means that it will not be subject to any further assessment, or even attention, by the Commonwealth government. No other reasons were given to reject the NPWAC’s recommendations, or the submissions from 78 individuals (including <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328262046_Marthick_and_Worth_2018_8177_Wild_Drake_Pty_Ltd">expert scientists</a>) and 808 campaign submissions opposing the development.</p>
<p>Government ministers are not bound to act on expert advice. But they do have a duty to take it into account in a meaningful way. That is especially the case when expert advice is so clear, and supported by a range of relevant, independent and compelling public submissions from scientists and specialist groups.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240390/original/file-20181012-119126-1xygys5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240390/original/file-20181012-119126-1xygys5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=818&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240390/original/file-20181012-119126-1xygys5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=818&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240390/original/file-20181012-119126-1xygys5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=818&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240390/original/file-20181012-119126-1xygys5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1027&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240390/original/file-20181012-119126-1xygys5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1027&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240390/original/file-20181012-119126-1xygys5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1027&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">According to the IUCN, world heritage wilderness area areas allow us to understand nature <em>on its own terms</em> and maintain those terms while allowing (and even encouraging) humans to experience <em><strong>wild</strong></em> nature.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(c) Brendan Gogarty</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the case of Halls Island, these factors should have tipped the balance towards undertaking a proper, legal assessment of the proposal and its likely impacts.</p>
<p>In a response to The Conversation, Price said her department had considered a range of advice and concluded that the proposed development is “not likely to have significant impacts on any nationally protected environmental matters, including the value of the World Heritage Area”.</p>
<p>Examined against the government’s increasingly cavalier attitude to our <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/history-and-future-of-protecting-great-barrier-reef/7649840">national estate</a>, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-08/the-opera-house:-world-heritage-listed-cultural/10353062?section=business">world heritage</a>, and role in <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-09/environment-minister-says-calls-to-end-coal-drawing-long-bow/10354604">global environmental governance</a> it is tempting to conclude that Tasmania’s wilderness has become yet another place where economic values trump conservation ones.</p>
<p>The Commonwealth is supposed to provide a check and balance on states’ self-interest in exploiting areas of outstanding universal value. But with another 29 development proposals on the list, our fear is that Tasmania’s World Heritage “wilderness” will become a lot less wild in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104854/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Newly revealed documents show the Commonwealth government approved a controversial tourism plan for Tasmania's World Heritage wilderness without assessing it against federal conservation legislation.Brendan Gogarty, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of TasmaniaNick Fitzgerald, PhD candidate, University of TasmaniaPhillipa C McCormack, Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of TasmaniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1012582018-10-14T19:06:01Z2018-10-14T19:06:01ZVR technology gives new meaning to ‘holidaying at home’. But is it really a substitute for travel?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240179/original/file-20181011-72113-h1mvme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Participants in a virtual reality travel experience reported a sense of relaxation, similar to that gained from travel in real life.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/man-scuba-diver-watching-beautiful-colorful-538976452?src=6OBUZLTdinMiT7E4yGe_xw-1-42">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>As virtual reality technology improves, it creates new opportunities for travellers seeking new experiences. This is the latest instalment of our <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/tourism-and-technology-60904">series</a> exploring how technology is changing tourism.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Tourism is often about seeking deeper emotional and personal connections with the world around us. It’s a quintessential part of the “<a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0047287507304039">experience economy</a>”, creating memories that can be recalled, re-lived and re-shared for a <a href="https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/TR-03-2017-0041">lifetime</a>.</p>
<p>But not all travel experiences take place in the real world. With the evolution of virtual reality (VR) technology, tourism is increasingly a mash-up of physical and virtual worlds. VR can even remove the need to travel entirely.</p>
<p>Excessive tourism, or over-tourism, in popular destinations can degrade heritage sites, the quality of life of host communities, and the experience of visitors. Virtual reality not only offers alternative forms of access to threatened <a href="https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=3167974">locations</a>, it also recreates historical experiences and provides virtual access to remote locations you might not make it to otherwise.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240186/original/file-20181011-72133-pgadsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240186/original/file-20181011-72133-pgadsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240186/original/file-20181011-72133-pgadsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240186/original/file-20181011-72133-pgadsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240186/original/file-20181011-72133-pgadsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240186/original/file-20181011-72133-pgadsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240186/original/file-20181011-72133-pgadsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240186/original/file-20181011-72133-pgadsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Up to 6,000 people were visiting Maya Bay every day before it was closed to tourists.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/maya-bay-phi-leh-island-thailand-128142050?src=qbfXg2R67vydk-u6AmL41w-1-9">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/how-virtual-reality-is-giving-the-worlds-roller-coasters-a-new-twist-101395">How Virtual Reality is giving the world's roller coasters a new twist</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>Evoking a sense of ‘being there’</h2>
<p>Our brains seem to have an inbuilt VR-like mechanism that enables us to live <a href="https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/TR-03-2017-0041">imagined experiences</a>. Much of our waking life is spent thinking about either the past (retrospection) or the future (prospection). This is known as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3815569/">mind wandering</a>.</p>
<p>During these events we’re not paying attention to the current world around us. Instead, we’re recalling memories, or creating and processing imagined futures.</p>
<p>When we’re engaged in mind wandering, our brains process and appraise mental images via the same <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13683500.2017.1388770?journalCode=rcit20">neural pathways</a> they use to receive stimuli from the real world. So, the imagined past or future can evoke emotions and feelings similar to how we react to everyday life.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/museums-are-using-virtual-reality-to-preserve-the-past-before-its-too-late-44600">Museums are using virtual reality to preserve the past – before it's too late</a>
</strong>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>VR can elicit these same feelings. Virtual worlds use sensory stimulation and vivid imagery to generate authentic experiences. Immersion in these environments <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13683500.2017.1388770?af=R&amp;journalCode=rcit20">can lead to a deeper understanding</a> of a place or event than simply reading about it or looking at pictures. </p>
<p>There is evidence virtual reality can create absorption, or a state of attention, leading to a sense of “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322112864_Determining_Visitor_Engagement_through_Augmented_Reality_at_Science_Festivals_An_Experience_Economy_Perspective">presence</a>” or “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312046962_Virtual_Reality_and_Attitudes_Toward_Tourism_Destinations">being there</a>”. After a tourism VR experience of the Great Barrier Reef, for example, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13683500.2017.1388770?af=R&amp;journalCode=rcit20">participants reported experiencing</a> a sense of relaxation, similar to that gained from travel in real life.</p>
<h2>What VR tourism looks like</h2>
<h3>Choosing a destination</h3>
<p>Immersive videos of Australian holiday destinations created by Tourism Australia have been viewed more than 10.5 million times over the past two years. Research conducted by <a href="http://www.tourism.australia.com/content/dam/assets/document/1/6/y/7/t/2003897.pdf">Tourism Australia</a> shows that almost 20% of consumers have used VR to choose a holiday destination, while about 25% plan to use VR to choose a future destination. There is evidence VR can sometimes <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314949464_Understanding_Virtual_Reality_in_Marketing_Nature_Implications_and_Potential">surpass reality</a>, potentially leading the participant to choose an alternate destination. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t88g8sZaVi4?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A 360 degree video of Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h3>Sustainability</h3>
<p>In March, Thai authorities closed sections of the famous Maya Bay (which featured in Hollywood movie The Beach) because over-tourism threatened coral reefs. VR could offer experiences of locations like this without impacting the natural environment. It could also help support capacity management at “bucket list” destinations, such as Machu Picchu. But if VR is too effective at reducing visitation, alternate forms of income for local people need to be developed to support economic viability. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RhQY6sKmEo0?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Visiting Machu Picchu.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h3>Historical recreations</h3>
<p>In 2018, the Australian War Memorial brought the <a href="https://www.awm.gov.au/hamelvr">Battle of Hamel</a> to virtual life using 3D and 360 degree video. Designers of the A$100 million Sir John Monash Centre in Villers-Bretonneux, France used immersive video, interactive touch screens and historical relics to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/sir-john-monash-world-war-i-recreation-so-real-it-will-make-you-cry-20180422-p4zazg.html">recreate the soldiers’ experience</a> on the Western Front during WWI. Similar work is being completed in regional Australia to recreate life on a US Airbase on “the Brisbane Line” – Australia’s controversial last point of defence in WWII. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GlNPUZbccrQ?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Audiences can immerse themselves in the key action fought on 4 July 1918 on the Western Front via VR.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h3>Access to remote areas</h3>
<p>Wildlife watching can elicit <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6AiIK2huHU">feelings</a> of empathy, surprise, novelty, even fear. It can also generate excitement, stimulation, entertainment and learning. But government regulation, cost, remoteness and seasonality of migratory patterns may limit opportunities for people to encounter some of the awe-inspiring creatures on our planet. Virtual immersion can offer alternatives that support conservation goals and provide transformative visitor experiences. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JApQBIsCK6c?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Birdly is a flight simulator that uses arm holsters and 3D goggles to give a person the feeling of a bird soaring above ground.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/want-to-be-a-space-tour-guide-apply-here-in-2025-63882">Want to be a space tour guide? Apply here... in 2025</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Enhancing health and wellbeing</h2>
<p>VR tourism could also help to increase health and well-being. Long working hours can lead to anxiety and depression. Research demonstrates <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1467358416638918">immersion in the outdoors</a> encourages relaxation, rejuvenation, expectation, surprise, trust in oneself, and improved self-esteem that can contribute to reduced symptoms. Short breaks using tourism-based VR experiences can mirror these effects and improve health.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZW3AiBjuH08?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Tourists encounter whales in the wild and are treated to a spectacular display.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>New possibilities for VR <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517709001332">applications</a> – both practical and pleasurable – are emerging as the technology evolves. And as travellers seek new and novel experiences, combining virtual with real world experiences may become a common feature of tourism in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101258/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>A/Prof Moyle is an Advance Queensland Mid-Career Research Fellow supported by the Department of Innovation Tourism and Industry Development, Queensland Government</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexandra Bec, Noel Scott, and Vikki Schaffer do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mind wandering engages the same neural pathways used to receive stimuli from the real world, evoking emotions similar to real life. VR can elicit these same feelings.Vikki Schaffer, Program Co-ordinator and Lecturer, Tourism, Leisure and Event Management, University of the Sunshine CoastAlexandra Bec, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of the Sunshine CoastBrent D. Moyle, Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Arts Business and Law / A/Professor of Tourism, USC Business, University of the Sunshine CoastNoel Scott, Professor at the Institute of Tourism, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1040132018-10-09T19:25:05Z2018-10-09T19:25:05ZMobile apps might make you feel better about travelling alone, but they won't necessarily make you safer<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239618/original/file-20181008-72127-1dlad2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Generally speaking the risks of sexual assault or homicide from an unknown male perpetrator in a public place are low.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>As I was writing this article, I was fortunate enough to be at a conference in Florence, Italy. Like a growing number of <a href="http://roymorgan.com/findings/5667-more-australians-taking-holidays-alone-201407070228">women who travel overseas</a>, whether for work or leisure, many of the trips I’ve done in recent years have been alone. And as a digital criminologist (as well as a mobile app enthusiast), I’m certainly a convert to the practical usefulness of technologies for travel. </p>
<p>There are a wide variety of smartphone apps that certainly make travelling alone <em>easier</em> to navigate. Think offline maps, language translation, transport timetables, online ticket bookings, Uber, electronic banking, virtual private networks (VPNs, especially if using electronic banking on <a href="https://theconversation.com/wi-fi-can-be-krack-ed-heres-what-to-do-next-85746">public Wi-Fi</a>), and updating friends and family about one’s activities. </p>
<p>Then there are the more specific “safety” technologies. Some of them, like the Australian government’s <a href="https://smartraveller.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-fDmwrb03QIVF6mWCh3anw4EEAAYASAAEgKrMfD_BwE">Smart Traveller website</a>, allow voyagers to register their intended whereabouts in case of a natural disaster or emergency. Travellers can also keep up to date with local risk and incident alerts, which can help you to steer clear if there is an incident in the city you’re headed to. </p>
<p>Others, like <a href="https://getbsafe.com/">BSafe</a> and <a href="https://www.abc15.com/news/national/bugle-app-new-app-sends-emergency-alert-when-hiking-jogging">Bugle</a>, allow you to easily notify your emergency contacts if you feel unsafe, or do not arrive at your intended destination.</p>
<p>But while these apps might make you <em>feel</em> safer, it doesn’t necessarily follow that they make you safer in reality.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239615/original/file-20181008-72113-1izmtgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239615/original/file-20181008-72113-1izmtgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239615/original/file-20181008-72113-1izmtgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=375&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239615/original/file-20181008-72113-1izmtgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=375&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239615/original/file-20181008-72113-1izmtgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=375&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239615/original/file-20181008-72113-1izmtgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=471&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239615/original/file-20181008-72113-1izmtgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=471&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239615/original/file-20181008-72113-1izmtgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=471&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The bSafe app allows your loved ones to pinpoint your location when you activate the SOS button.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://getbsafe.com/">BSafe</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
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<p>
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Leer más:
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<hr>
<h2>How risky is solo travel for women?</h2>
<p>In Australia, <a href="https://www.ourwatch.org.au/understanding-violence/facts-and-figures">one in three women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15, and one in five has experienced sexual violence</a>. Much of this violence takes place in private space. And the overwhelming majority of it is committed by men who are known to the woman victim. Often by an intimate partner, date, family member or acquaintance. </p>
<p>The rates and patterns of violence against women are similar in many countries globally. But there are some places where both violence generally, and violence against women, happen more frequently and where travellers might be at additional risk. For example, a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jun/20/women-violence-worldwide-statistics-who">2013 report of the World Health Organisation</a> found that women in Africa were almost twice as likely as women in Europe to experience violence. </p>
<p>Meanwhile the <a href="https://smartraveller.gov.au/countries/pages/list.aspx">Australian government recommends avoiding any travel</a> to some countries and regions within Africa, South America and the Middle East. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02508281.2018.1494872">India also features in research</a> into countries which may be comparatively less safe for women travelling alone.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239608/original/file-20181008-72117-1nsc680.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239608/original/file-20181008-72117-1nsc680.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/239608/original/file-20181008-72117-1nsc680.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239608/original/file-20181008-72117-1nsc680.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239608/original/file-20181008-72117-1nsc680.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=800&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239608/original/file-20181008-72117-1nsc680.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239608/original/file-20181008-72117-1nsc680.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/239608/original/file-20181008-72117-1nsc680.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1005&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The author travelling in Tuscany, Italy last week.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But for many of the <a href="http://www.traveller.com.au/most-popular-countries-for-australians-to-visit-2017-abs-tourism-figures-h0wfjg">most common destinations of Australians</a> travelling overseas, the rates and patterns of violence against women are similar to those at home. Some countries, such as Japan, have notoriously low rates of sexual violence. Although there are also well documented concerns over sexual harassment on the subway, and some claims of substantial <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/jun/28/japans-secret-shame-review-breaking-a-nations-taboo-about">under-reporting of sex crimes due to social taboos</a>. </p>
<p>Yet the point remains that statistically speaking, unless you’re travelling to a high conflict zone or your travel is to <a href="http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/orangedayjune2017.shtml">seek refuge in another country</a>, then as a woman it is not necessarily “riskier” for you to travel solo abroad. </p>
<p>This doesn’t mean that there is no risk, but generally speaking the risks of sexual assault or homicide from an unknown male perpetrator in a public place are low. Many women do experience street harassment, intimidation and fear from men in public, but this happens in Australia as well as abroad.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Leer más:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/why-the-hands-off-campaign-targeting-sexual-harassment-on-public-transport-misses-the-mark-86213">Why the ‘Hands Off’ campaign targeting sexual harassment on public transport misses the mark</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>‘Security theatre’</h2>
<p>Women are experienced at different types of “safety work”. Many women take additional precautions to manage both their risk of violence, and their feelings of fear or safety, on a daily basis. From avoiding eye contact with unknown men in the street, to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2016/aug/30/how-to-actually-talk-to-a-woman-wearing-headphones">wearing headphones</a> even without music playing, to sitting in the back seat of a taxi, to texting a friend when we are home safe. </p>
<p>While travelling solo, this safety work might also include: providing family or friends with our itinerary before we depart, regularly checking in our location on our social media, sending location updates or any changed plans back to family or friends back home, and following along on our navigation while taking a taxi. </p>
<p>Of course, some of these activities – which are certainly practical – can also be understood as managing fear, rather than necessarily keeping us safer. Some of them are directed only at raising the alarm should we go missing – that is presumably, after some harm has already befallen us. </p>
<p>We engage in a kind of “<a href="https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/2009/11/beyond_security_thea.html">security theatre</a>” – a term famously used to refer to some counter terrorism measures that actually do little to reduce the risk of a terrorist attack, but make the public less afraid. For women, our security theatre includes practices that make us feel safer and more empowered to enter into public spaces. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Leer más:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/have-you-ever-wondered-how-much-energy-you-put-in-to-avoid-being-assaulted-it-may-shock-you-65372">Have you ever wondered how much energy you put in to avoid being assaulted? It may shock you</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The right amount of panic</h2>
<p>As legal scholar Fiona Vera-Gray rightly <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;id=XgBpDwAAQBAJ&amp;oi=fnd&amp;pg=PR1&amp;dq=women+%22safety+work%22&amp;ots=Gb4QkUiltP&amp;sig=2uLNIMOdo736_aLi5fO793QeBMA#v=onepage&amp;q=women%20%22safety%20work%22&amp;f=false">points out</a>, it seems impossible to know what “the right amount of panic” is. Women are regularly blamed if they fall victim to men’s violence for not being panicked enough – in other words, for taking too much risk. But if we are too panicked it will restrict our movements and participation in the world in ways that seriously undermine our freedoms. </p>
<p>To travel solo while female seems to require walking a tightrope of challenging gender stereotypes of women as inherently in danger and in need of protection, while also navigating a cascade of advice on how to keep safe. </p>
<p>Ultimately, of course, no mobile app is going to prevent a violent crime by a perpetrator who chooses to enact it. But if the convenience of an all-in-one navigating, translating and incident reporting device both makes solo travel easier – and makes you feel more safe and confident – then go on, get out there!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104013/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anastasia Powell receives funding from the Australian Research Council, and the Criminology Research Council. Anastasia is also a member of the board of directors of Our Watch, Australia&#39;s national organisation for the prevention of violence against women. </span></em></p>The additional precautions many women take when travelling alone help us manage our fears and feel more empowered to enter into public spaces.Anastasia Powell, Associate Professor and ARC DECRA Fellow, Criminology and Justice Studies, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1038522018-10-04T19:31:43Z2018-10-04T19:31:43ZDoes sunny South Africa really have an ideal climate for tourism?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/238139/original/file-20180926-48637-1g21nfk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Climate change could affect South Africa&#39;s tourism.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>South Africa’s climate is perfect for tempting tourists. Sunny skies are common. The average temperature is just right for long days on the beach and early morning game drives. </p>
<p>Even <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669582.2016.1251933">scientific indices</a> that measure the weather’s suitability for tourism classify the country as “ideal”. But that doesn’t mean that every tourist leaves satisfied with the weather they experienced.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00484-018-1617-0">study</a> published in the International Journal of Biometeorology, we looked at how often tourists commented on the weather across a total of 5898 TripAdvisor reviews of 19 destinations across South Africa. <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/">TripAdvisor</a> is an online platform where tourists can post reviews of a destination. The website is considered to be the worlds’ leading information platform for travel related decisions, representing the largest global network of tourists. The reviews considered in this study were posted in 2016. </p>
<p>We found that only 7.9% of the reviews mentioned the weather. Tourists visiting Durban in KwaZulu-Natal were the most satisfied with the weather conditions. Belfast, a town in the Mpumalanga province, and Bethlehem in the Free State received the most frequent complaints about the weather.</p>
<p>Reviewers from the UK mentioned the weather most frequently: although they represented only 9% of the 5898 TripAdvisor reviews, a significant number of UK visitors – 14.2% – mentioned the weather. European visitors frequently commented on the hot weather, compared to visitors from Africa, the Middle East, the Americas and Australasia.</p>
<p>This study reveals important nuances in tourists’ experiences of South African weather. Many of these confirm common sense assumptions. But data is valuable because it allows policymakers to develop concrete climate change strategies that can be implemented in different parts of the country.</p>
<p>Climate change forecasts <a href="http://www.weathersa.co.za/climate/climate-change-reference-atlas">indicate</a> that global temperatures are likely to increase by about 4°C by 2100. This means that extreme weather conditions will be more frequent and more <a href="http://www.weathersa.co.za/climate/climate-change-reference-atlas">severe</a>.
Tourists are likely to feel more dissatisfied by the weather, and online platforms mean that their word-of-mouth complaints will be far reaching. </p>
<h2>What must be done?</h2>
<p>Regions that rely heavily on outdoor tourism must adapt to counter climate change threats and survive as tourist attraction sites. The study proposes two ways in which this can be done. </p>
<p>The first strategy is marketing – advertising should better prepare tourists for the weather they’re likely to experience during their vacation to enhance satisfaction. While marketing sunny skies and comfortable temperature attracts tourists, misinformation increases the likelihood of negative reviews and poor word-of-mouth when visitors return home.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738309001443">Playacar</a>, in Mexico, faced similar challenges in the wake of global climate change where beach erosion resulted in a very different aesthetic to what was advertised in travel brochures.</p>
<p>The second is accommodation. Accommodation establishments must address the climatic stresses their visitors feel most acutely if they want to increase the chances of their return. Service providers should manage indoor temperatures, reduce the noise levels of wind in the upper floor rooms and assist guests in avoiding the rain when they arrive at the hotel. Reduced water usage should be managed without being a hindrance to the guests.</p>
<p>Afriski, one of Africa’s two ski resorts, successfully managed to provide a ski experience while <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gijsbert_Hoogendoorn/publication/327308083_Climate_sensitivity_and_snow-based_tourism_in_Africa_an_investigation_of_Tripadvisor_reviews_on_Afriski_Lesotho/links/5b890ba692851c1e123d57da/Climate-sensitivity-and-snow-based-tourism-in-Africa-an-investigation-of-Tripadvisor-reviews-on-Afriski-Lesotho.pdf">moderating</a> the indoor temperatures to provide guests with comfortable sleeping conditions. </p>
<p>The climatic factors mentioned in TripAdvisor reviews depended heavily on the quality of the accommodation. Those who stayed in backpackers, bed and breakfasts or guesthouses that were either unrated or had a Tourism Grading Council of South Africa 1 star rating cited hot and cold conditions more than any other climatic factors. They represented the group that mentioned temperature most often.</p>
<p>This is probably because these service providers don’t have air conditioners to moderate temperatures and often don’t even have fans, electric blankets or effective insulation. Visitors who stayed in hotels with a 5 star rating mentioned the wind, rain and drought most frequently; they very seldom had issues with the temperature. </p>
<p>These tourists could likely control the temperature of their hotels rooms and the vehicles they were travelling in but would not have been able to escape the rain and wind while out and about. They experienced drought conditions more acutely because water restrictions mostly affect the use of baths, jacuzzis and swimming pools. Tourists in 1 star accommodation wouldn’t have access to these facilities.</p>
<p>Interestingly, hot conditions were mentioned most frequently by visitors from Europe, accounting for 30% of all of their climatic mentions. Cold conditions were mentioned mostly mentioned by visitors from the Middle East and Australasia. This can broadly be explained by the climate that tourists experience in their home country, which in turn determines their thermal sensitivity outside of this range. </p>
<p>Mentions of cloud cover and a lack of sunshine were more common than reports of rain for visitors from Europe, the Middle East and Australia. This could be because of aggressive of marketing campaigns targeting these regions that create an impression of year-round sunshine across the country.</p>
<p>Research into climate change and tourism in South Africa faces a considerable challenge from a lack of data. Models developed in the global North are often impossible to run as we do not have a sufficient records of the required data. This study reveals the value of TripAdvisor reviews and provides insight into tourists’ experiences of weather, from which adaptation plans can be successfully implemented.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103852/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research says South Africa's picture perfect weather conditions are a tourist's dream.Jennifer Fitchett, Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography, University of the WitwatersrandGijsbert Hoogendoorn, Associate Professor in Tourism Geography, University of JohannesburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1033572018-09-17T11:34:38Z2018-09-17T11:34:38Z‘No deal’ Brexit: what it could mean for British tourists and air travel<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236619/original/file-20180917-158237-g003bh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/airport-departure-arrival-sign-heathrow-london-192070256?src=Z9ZKE2kWCknYKJ9zxwgOXA-1-5">alice-photo/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Britain is facing the prospect of leaving the European Union without a deal. So what might this mean for Britons travelling to Europe after March 29, 2019 – the date scheduled for the UK’s departure from the EU? The government’s set of “no deal” <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/how-to-prepare-if-the-uk-leaves-the-eu-with-no-deal">preparation documents</a> published in August and September has tried to offer some reassurances. Unfortunately, the prospect of additional costs, disruption and complexity when travelling to the EU is becoming a <a href="https://www.abta.com/news/government-information-no-deal">likely scenario</a> in the event of a “no deal” Brexit.</p>
<h2>Passports and the freedom to travel</h2>
<p>One of the overriding concerns about a “no deal” scenario is the potential impact on the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/travelling-to-the-eu-with-a-uk-passport-if-theres-no-brexit-deal">status of the UK passport</a>. Following the referendum and concerns over future citizenship status, thousands of eligible people – both EU migrants in the UK and British migrants living elsewhere in the EU – applied for a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/17/dual-nationality-passports-eu-migrants-fear-brexit-european-union-referendum">second passport through dual nationality</a>.</p>
<p>After Brexit, British passport holders will become what’s called <a href="https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/observatories/eurwork/industrial-relations-dictionary/third-country-nationals">“third country nationals”</a> because the UK will no longer be inside the single market. British passport holders (including those from Crown Dependencies and Gibraltar) travelling to countries within the <a href="https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/schengen-visa-countries-list/">Schengen area of free movement</a> should get prepared. Passports that are older than nine years and six months on the date of travel, will need to be renewed (at a current <a href="https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport">cost of £75.50</a>) otherwise entry could be denied. </p>
<p>Perhaps one of the most symbolic changes will be that UK citizens will see their burgundy-coloured passports <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/blue-uk-passport-to-return-after-eu-exit">revert back to blue</a> from October 2019. Some may like this <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/comment/blue-passports-nostalgia-gone-mad/">nostalgic move, but it is rather short-sighted</a> and could mean UK travellers face longer queues at customs, passport control and security. The same is likely to be true for EU citizens seeking to enter Britain.</p>
<h2>Air travel</h2>
<p>The UK can currently operate any air route within the EU, but government guidance on a “<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flights-to-and-from-the-uk-if-theres-no-brexit-deal/flights-to-and-from-the-uk-if-theres-no-brexit-deal">no-deal” Brexit for air travel</a> hints at a worrying future scenario. Without a deal, the UK could experience massive flight disruption until UK and EU-licensed airlines negotiate hundreds of new air service agreements within a revised regulatory framework. Although the UK may be able to arrange what has been called a “bare bones” <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/aviation.pdf">agreement on air services</a>, EU countries could decide not to grant permissions which would effectively ground flights between the UK and EU.</p>
<p>In the event of a no-deal, EU-licensed airlines would have to secure two types of permission to fly to the UK: a <a href="https://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-Industry/Airlines/Licensing/Foreign-carrier-permits/About-foreign-carrier-permits">foreign carrier permit</a> and safety authorisation from the <a href="https://www.caa.co.uk/home">UK Civil Aviation Authority</a>. Likewise, UK-licensed airlines would need both permission to fly from all relevant national authorities, and explicit safety authorisation from the <a href="https://www.easa.europa.eu/">European Aviation Safety Agency</a>. Brexit could also jeopardise travel to non-EU countries. For example, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/mar/22/europeanunion.theairlineindustry">EU-US Open Skies deal in 2007</a> allows US and UK airlines access to each other’s markets. This trans-Atlantic agreement would have to be renegotiated. EU-licensed airlines with UK ownership would also need to reconsider how to negotiate <a href="https://www.caa.co.uk/Commercial-industry/Airlines/Licensing/Licence-types/Airline-licence-holders/">route licences</a>. EU airlines must be majority owned and effectively controlled by EU nationals to qualify for an operating licence. </p>
<p>All of these complications are bound to increase airfares for the customer.</p>
<p>Reassuringly for passengers, air navigation services will remain under international obligations laid out within the <a href="https://icao.int/publications/pages/doc7300.aspx">Chicago Convention</a> and the <a href="https://www.icao.int/secretariat/legal/List%20of%20Parties/Transit_EN.pdf">1944 International Air Services Transit Agreement</a>. So, air travel should remain safe, but the question is whether flights will take off at all in the immediate aftermath of a no-deal Brexit. </p>
<h2>International driving permits</h2>
<p>If you do manage to enter the EU, then you might want to drive there. This will also become more complicated in the event of a “no deal” Brexit. After March 2019, the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/driving-in-the-eu-if-theres-no-brexit-deal">UK driving licence</a> may no longer be sufficient to drive in the EU. Without a deal, British drivers will need International Driving Permits (IDPs) to accompany their UK licence to drive and to hire a car. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Implementing-the-UKs-Exit-from-the-European-Union-Summary.pdf">The National Audit Office</a> estimates that if a no Brexit deal is reached then between 100,000 and 7m IDPs may need to be issued in 2019-20. To confuse matters further, there are two different types of IDPs in the EU, a driver would need both if travelling through France into Spain. The current cost to obtain an IDP is £5.50.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236621/original/file-20180917-158243-1yi74l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236621/original/file-20180917-158243-1yi74l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236621/original/file-20180917-158243-1yi74l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236621/original/file-20180917-158243-1yi74l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236621/original/file-20180917-158243-1yi74l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=425&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236621/original/file-20180917-158243-1yi74l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=425&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/236621/original/file-20180917-158243-1yi74l5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=425&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tuscan travels could come with an extra cost.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tuscany-florence-italy-24-june-2016-689589649?src=xVT1Bh5uZ8cTUH41PQTk6w-1-40">K.Claire/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Roaming charges</h2>
<p>When you are abroad, you might want to call home. Unfortunately, this might also come at an additional cost as a “no deal” scenario could affect <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-roaming-if-theres-no-brexit-deal/mobile-roaming-if-theres-no-brexit-deal">mobile phone and data roaming</a>. Since June 2017, Britons abroad have enjoyed the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/roaming">“Roam Like from Home” agreement</a> secured by EU legislation, which means roaming within the EU comes at no extra cost. Under a “no deal” scenario, EU mobile operators would be able to charge UK operators and surcharge-free roaming <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45501007">will no longer be guaranteed</a>. It will depend on your mobile operator. Future tariff arrangements negotiated by the UK’s major phone providers are likely to be inconsistent. </p>
<h2>Impact on tourism</h2>
<p>In the months after the EU referendum in 2016, the British tourism industry enjoyed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/feb/17/fall-in-pound-after-brexit-vote-uk-break-overseas-visitors-record-ons-north-american-tourists">record tourism numbers</a>, partly because a weak pound has made the UK an attractive tourism destination. By March 2018, overseas visitors had spent a record £24.6 billion in 12 months, which was <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/leisureandtourism/bulletins/overseastravelandtourism/januaryfebruaryandmarch2018provisionalresults">6% up from the previous year</a>. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, exchange rates have meant more expensive holidays for UK citizens travelling to the EU. It’s likely that a “no deal” will trigger a further currency collapse and see travel to EU countries become even more expensive. On top of this, Britons might find they need to start paying for emergency health care if a “no deal” means loss of the <a href="https://europa.eu/european-union/life/healthcare_en">European Health Insurance</a> scheme.</p>
<p>A “no deal” is also likely to have a damaging economic impact on many EU countries. Three quarters of all overseas trips made by Britons <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/leisureandtourism/articles/traveltrends/2017">are to the EU</a>. Research by the Association of British Travel Agents found that UK tourists <a href="https://www.abta.com/news/abta-urges-brexit-deal-travel">are worth €37.4 billion</a> a year to EU member states. The most popular destination for British tourists in 2017 was Spain with 19m Britons visiting the country, with France in second place.</p>
<p>All this means that a “no deal” exit would likely have far reaching and costly implications on travel and tourism. Over time, we may gain some clarity about these issues, but perhaps British tourists will need to consider more <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/21/staycation-boost-to-uk-economy-as-millions-of-families-shun-fore/">“staycations”</a> because travelling to Europe may become a more expensive, confusing and complicated experience.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103357/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Everett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>If the UK left the EU without a deal, it could have an impact on passports, driving licences and mobile phone charges.Sally Everett, Deputy Dean (Business School), Anglia Ruskin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1017662018-09-14T09:07:39Z2018-09-14T09:07:39ZTourists not welcome: how to tackle the issue of overtourism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/236202/original/file-20180913-177944-r3zha7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The stag and hen capital that is Prague.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/architecture-bridge-building-structures-castle-126292/">Pexels</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Stag and hen dos might be a modern rite of passage, but for many brides and grooms to be, these pre-wedding celebrations have gone from a few quiet drinks at the pub, to just another “excuse” for a holiday.</p>
<p>According to the most recent survey published by the <a href="https://www.abta.com/news/over-million-brits-set-head-overseas-stag-or-hen-party">Association of British Travel Agents</a>, 1.3m British tourists went overseas to celebrate a hen or stag party in 2015. And among the most popular destinations are Prague, Barcelona, Benidorm, Dublin and Amsterdam. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/stag-hen-do-abroad-average-cost-britons-hotels-study-a8457716.html">A recent poll of 2,000 UK adults</a> has also found that stag and hen parties abroad often cost close to £1,000 per person – with accommodation and drinks among the biggest expenses.</p>
<p>This type of tourism, usually, impacts negatively on destinations because of the limited economic benefits that it brings and the social costs that it carries – such as increased crime or disrespectful behaviour. </p>
<h2>Too many tourists</h2>
<p>Nowadays, it’s easy and cheap to reach European destinations. This makes these types of experiences appealing to large numbers of tourists. But when a lot of people are all heading off to the same places, <a href="https://theconversation.com/overtourism-a-growing-global-problem-100029">the issue of overtourism</a> arises. This is when destinations are affected by large numbers of tourists – and it is particularly the case with cruise tourism or hen and stag parties. </p>
<p>The consequences of a large numbers of visitors descending on a destination vary from noisy neighbours and frustrated residents, to overloaded infrastructure, environmental impacts and an increasing lack of facilities for local people – as everything is geared up more and more with the tourist in mind. </p>
<p>Mass tourism can also lead to increases in rental costs – which then prices locals out of certain areas of the city. This has been the case in many European cities – particularly with <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-we-love-uber-and-airbnb-or-protest-against-them-45391">the rise of Airbnb</a>. The German capital Berlin, has actually gone so far as to <a href="https://theconversation.com/berlin-has-banned-homeowners-from-renting-out-flats-on-airbnb-heres-why-59204">ban homeowners from renting out flats</a> on Airbnb – for this very reason.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/airbnb-and-the-short-term-rental-revolution-how-english-cities-are-suffering-101720">Airbnb and the short-term rental revolution – how English cities are suffering</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Losing the local character</h2>
<p>According to the latest <a href="http://media.unwto.org/press-release/2018-01-15/2017-international-tourism-results-highest-seven-years">World Tourism Organisation’s Tourism Barometer</a>, in 2017 international tourist arrivals grew by 7% – reaching a total of 1.322 billion people. This growth is expected to continue in 2018 at a rate of 4% to 5% – which is above the 3.8% average increase projected by the World Tourism Organisation for the period 2010 to 2020. This evidence shows that despite the fact that many cities are trying to put in place measures to control overtourism, tourism is still growing at an unsustainable pace. </p>
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</figure>
<p>Overtourism is a result of global capitalism. This is because the tourism industry facilitates mobility, liberal markets, deregulation and limited intervention from the state. And certain forms of tourism – such as cruises, hen and stag parties and backpacking are more associated with the problem. </p>
<p>Responsible tourism has often been flagged as a way out of overtourism. This is because it aims to preserve the natural and built environments of destinations. It also aims to enhance the economic welfare of destinations and to respect the lives of residents. Yet, responsible tourism often sustains modern global capitalism as it is embedded in and part of global capitalist modes of production and consumption. </p>
<p>Volunteer tourism, for example, is often thought of as a form of tourism that is responsible. But <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19407963.2017.1362809">volunteer tourism is actually a form of “moral consumption”</a>. Volunteer tourism involves young and often inexperienced individuals working on short-term developmental projects in developing countries. In many cases, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2015/may/21/western-volunteers-more-harm-than-good">this causes more harm</a> than good – such as dependency, exploitation and child trafficking. And in that sense, rather than addressing complex societal problems, these forms of tourism can just end up reproducing them.</p>
<h2>A growing global problem</h2>
<p>Too often, in the field of responsible tourism, the emphasis is placed on individuals to act responsibly in order to address societal challenges. But this focus on individuals’ role of doing good removes any moral obligation from the state or governments involved.</p>
<p>Low-cost airlines, companies that cater for hen and stag parties, owners of rental accommodation and budget tourists seeing the cheapest holiday they can find are all pursuing their own different interests – often without much thought for the wider context they are operating in. </p>
<p>So while it’s understandable that people want to visit beautiful places in far flung destinations, it is also important that this is done in a responsible manner. This requires a joined up approach between tourists, holiday companies, travel bloggers and governments and a rethink of the concept of responsible tourism for future generations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101766/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elisa Burrai does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Cheap flights and irresponsible tourists are causing many holiday destinations to become overrun with visitors.Elisa Burrai, Senior Lecturer in the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1028162018-09-12T15:26:38Z2018-09-12T15:26:38ZWhy there's resistance to coal mining at a world heritage site in South Africa<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/235597/original/file-20180910-123122-9nnjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There are fears that new mining operations in the north east of South Africa could threaten communities, tourism and the environment. </p>
<p>Plans to resume coal mining operations at the Mapungubwe Unesco World Heritage Site in Limpopo <a href="https://miningzimbabwe.com/coal-mining-halted-at-the-mapungubwe-heritage-site/">have been halted</a> and it’s uncertain when mining operations will resume. What’s known is that the government <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2016-11-25-00-small-scale-mining-on-the-rise">is currently considering</a> approving new mining applications in the province, with some possibly approved already. A rich coal seam runs from Zimbabwe to South Africa through the area.</p>
<p>About 77% of South Africa’s primary energy needs <a href="http://www.energy.gov.za/files/coal_frame.html">are provided by coal</a>. Mining in Limpopo represents about <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2016-11-25-00-small-scale-mining-on-the-rise">13%</a> of South Africa’s total mining sales, with South Africa’s overall coal production <a href="http://www.mineralscouncil.org.za/sa-mining/coal">totalling</a> 252 million tonnes produced in 2017, with total coal sales of R130 billion.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sd.1695">study</a> conducted a year ago explored the effect of mining on tourism growth and local development at the Mapungubwe heritage site. It found that mining operations were likely to have a negative impact on the environment, tourism development and local communities. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.sanparks.org/assets/docs/conservation/park_man/mapungubwe_approved_plans.pdf">Mapungubwe National Park</a> is one of the nine world heritage sites in South Africa . It’s home to the archaeological treasure of Mapungubwe, once the largest kingdom in the African sub-continent. It was the base of an empire that traded with people in China, India, Egypt and Persia, exchanging ivory and gold, in about 1200 AD. </p>
<p>I conclude in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sd.1695">my research</a> that new mining should not be allowed at the Mapungubwe heritage site. The area needs to be safeguarded for cultural and environmental purposes. Government and the mining industry need to consult widely with the people of the area and civil society on any future developments. </p>
<h2>The research</h2>
<p>The research involved interviews with community members, a farmer, an employee at the heritage site and a government official. Attempts to get hold of mining companies and additional officials for interviews proved unsuccessful.</p>
<p>People interviewed were clearly influenced by the way mining was done previously. For example, residents noted that mining consultative meetings weren’t done effectively before previous mining approvals in the area. The majority of people consulted were not from the area. </p>
<p>In addition, mining operations resulted in damage to the environment and to people’s homes. The Tshikondeni Mine, an opencast mine, resulted in <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/the-star/mining-halts-as-residents-protest-blasts-1400676">land destruction</a>. The mine polluted water, lead to houses cracking as well as dust and noise pollution. </p>
<p>Residents also pointed to the effect mining pollution had in other provinces. In <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287506960_Mining_andor_tourism_development_for_job_creation_and_sustainability_in_Dullstroom_Mpumalanga">Mpumalanga</a>, for example, mining pollution caused environmental degradation and threatened the tourism and agricultural industries as well as water supplies. </p>
<p>Limpopo residents fear the same will happen in their area which is why they’re against new mining operations. A local resident said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The conservation and sustainability of our land needs to be the first and most important issue above all other monetary activities; this is our culture and our history where we come from. What will our grandkids learn from our land except that it was once a beautiful area with rich meaning? Our kids need to experience what we were fortunate to experience due to what our forefathers left.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some community members and a provincial government official fear that mining will result in pollution and that it will disrupt the tranquillity of the area. This would, in turn, drive away tourists. </p>
<p>Some residents also believe mining would open avenues for corruption that would only benefit a few people. A local resident said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This is the platform where corruption comes into play – individuals are approached and bribed … . </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What now</h2>
<p>The local community must genuinely be included in all decision making processes and at the beginning of any developments that could affect the Mapungubwe area. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.gov.za/documents/national-environmental-management-act">South African National Environmental Management Act</a> sets down conditions under which new mining operations can go ahead. One of them is that peoples’ needs must be taken into account. This means that national government and mining companies must respect the concerns of local communities over short-term monetary gains. Any future mining ventures must be approached with great caution.</p>
<p>There should be consequences if this does not happen. Communities have the option of going to court if they aren’t adequately consulted. This has proved successful for some communities. In 2010, the Bengwenyama community in Limpopo went to court arguing that the Genorah Mining Company had failed to consult them properly during a prospecting process. The country’s <a href="http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2010/26.html">Constitutional Court</a> found in the community’s favour, ruling that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The community was not treated as required by the Constitution. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>It also found that the Department of Mineral Resources had not acted in accordance with procedural fairness requirements. </p>
<p>But court cases are expensive and out of reach for most communities. The better option is for government and companies to follow the law in the first place.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102816/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Llewellyn Leonard does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New coal mining operations could threaten
South Africa's Mapungubwe World Heritage Site.Llewellyn Leonard, Professor Environmental Science, University of South AfricaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1016372018-08-16T12:10:00Z2018-08-16T12:10:00ZA short history of the riviera: why we just can't resist coastal glamour<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232298/original/file-20180816-2897-199cu7b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/1134019751?src=iXd0dBdMD5JjpFxACU2K5g-2-99&amp;size=huge_jpg">shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Tourists are naturally drawn to Europe’s coastlines in the summer – but one particular type of seaside region has fascinated travellers more than most since the 19th century: the riviera. Although the word is usually used to refer to the French Côte d’Azur, the term has acquired a widely acknowledged meaning in our collective imagination. The concept of “riviera” (literally meaning “coastline” in Italian) defines a lakeside or seaside region composed of multiple resorts and small towns, all sharing a developed tourist industry. They are often, crucially, reserved for socioeconomic elites who can afford the regions’ high costs of living.</p>
<p>The word riviera also denotes certain attributes. It speaks to comfort, the quietness of life and exceptional climate. Beyond its precise definition, we can easily visually imagine what a riviera looks like. It has palm trees along the sea, a clear blue sky, magnificent hotels and casinos. And, these days, it also probably has extortionate food and drinks and yachts hogging marinas that might once have been populated by fishing boats.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232295/original/file-20180816-2900-586mzu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232295/original/file-20180816-2900-586mzu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=958&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232295/original/file-20180816-2900-586mzu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=958&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232295/original/file-20180816-2900-586mzu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=958&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232295/original/file-20180816-2900-586mzu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1204&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232295/original/file-20180816-2900-586mzu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1204&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232295/original/file-20180816-2900-586mzu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1204&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Are you glamorous enough?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/estampemoderne/7005990662/in/album-72157629553863265/">Galerie Estampe Mode</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This vision is epitomised by the French Riviera, with its glamorous Cannes Film Festival and the exclusive principality of Monaco, where one in three residents is a millionaire. All along the Mediterranean coast, right up until France meets Italy, holiday villas host elite visitors, seeking shelter from the paparazzi.</p>
<p>Even the official summer residence of the French president is located just off the French Riviera, on a private peninsula. The current president Emmanuel Macron, for all his desire to shake things up, <a href="http://www.theweek.co.uk/95503/inside-fort-bregancon-may-invited-to-macron-s-summer-retreat">intends to keep this tradition alive</a>. His plan to build a private swimming pool there <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-44562016">caused controversy at the beginning of the summer</a>.</p>
<h2>More than just a coastline</h2>
<p>We could easily decide to call any stretch of land along water a riviera. After all, most lakeside or seaside places feature the same environmental attributes – holiday accommodation, tourism and leisure services, transport infrastructure, usually a good climate. But a riviera is really defined by socioeconomic exclusivity. This is the ultimate factor that really turns a stretch of coastline into something more enticing.</p>
<p>As the riviera is seen as the coastline <em>par excellence</em>, it captures our imagination more than any other beach resort. While sipping an overpriced spritz, one pretends, for an instant, to be part of the films, stories and social circles happening here. Not every coastal town can convey this feeling; it has to have been recognised and placed on everyone’s mental map. For instance, the entire French Mediterranean coast could not fall into this definition. Instead, only the collection of towns and cities between Cannes and Monaco truly embody the definition of France’s most exclusive coastline.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232282/original/file-20180816-2897-1oyyw65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232282/original/file-20180816-2897-1oyyw65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232282/original/file-20180816-2897-1oyyw65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232282/original/file-20180816-2897-1oyyw65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=338&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232282/original/file-20180816-2897-1oyyw65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232282/original/file-20180816-2897-1oyyw65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232282/original/file-20180816-2897-1oyyw65.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=424&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Super exclusive in Monaco.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">nick karvounis unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This socioeconomic definition has enabled more areas to brand themselves as rivieras. Take the Swiss one, for example, which really only consists of a few towns around Vevey and Montreux. By travelling only a few miles too far to the west or to the east, some of the conditions of a riviera completely vanish. Switzerland has even renamed that local district “Riviera – Pays d’Enhaut”.</p>
<h2>Can’t fake the feeling</h2>
<p>A quick look at Wikipedia’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riviera">list of rivieras</a> shows just how many countries, in one way or another, have acquired their own riviera.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232292/original/file-20180816-2903-skohvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232292/original/file-20180816-2903-skohvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=958&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232292/original/file-20180816-2903-skohvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=958&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232292/original/file-20180816-2903-skohvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=958&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232292/original/file-20180816-2903-skohvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1204&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232292/original/file-20180816-2903-skohvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1204&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232292/original/file-20180816-2903-skohvq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1204&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Winter in Antibes looks pretty nice.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/estampemoderne/7005992258/in/photostream/">Galerie Estamp Mode</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some use the term to recognise the already existing touristic power of a certain region. Others adopt it as a strategy to attract more tourists. In England, the region of Torbay in Devon began being advertised as “the English Riviera” in the 1980s, following a peak of popularity in the 1970s. With its collection of small coastal villages, palm trees and relatively clement weather, Torbay can indeed resemble Nice or Cannes at times. But despite a concerted effort to push the label through campaigns, the region has actually seen fewer visitors since the initiative. Meanwhile, Cornwall, much of which very much matches the definition of a riviera, has retained its popularity without using the term.</p>
<p>But rivieras are now facing more dynamic competition as a result of changes to the tourism industry. “Instagrammable” has also become more than a term in the tourism world: it’s an obligation. Travellers are looking for certain visual standards – something that rivieras have offered since the 19th century. The idealised scenes depicted in the famous advertising for riviera travel are practically an analogue version of an Instagram account: a couple lazing in the sun and sipping a cocktail on their hotel’s private jetty, with yachts and palm trees in the background. We’ve all seen this scene in our social media newsfeeds.</p>
<p>The ubiquity of Instagram inevitably means that other coastal regions are catching on, becoming consciously more visually attractive rather than looking as though they’ve been destroyed by mass tourism. As a result, rivieras could lose their visual originality.</p>
<p>At the same time, sites like AirBnB have made it cheaper and easier to access these once “exclusive areas”. While this might not have an impact on the prices of food, drinks, and social events, the overall socioeconomic balance of rivieras could indeed change – for better or for worse.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101637/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Girardin ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d&#39;une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n&#39;a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son poste universitaire.</span></em></p>What turns a seaside resort into something altogether more glamorous? One word can change the fortunes of a whole region.Jordan Girardin, Associate lecturer, University of St AndrewsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1014572018-08-15T20:09:46Z2018-08-15T20:09:46ZAustralia could house around 900,000 more migrants if we no longer let in tourists<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231998/original/file-20180815-2900-xsnr42.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">International tourists use many of Australia&#39;s resources, including adding to fossil fuel consumption.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many who fear Australia’s population boom believe we <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-11/abbott-attacks-turnbull-over-immigration-report-denial/9640784">should be cutting down on immigration</a>. They blame immigration for congestion and expenditure of environmental and other vital resources. They say Australia’s cities are becoming overcrowded and cannot sustain more people.</p>
<p>But if Australia were to cut down on immigration, it would also then make sense to introduce policies that limit numbers of international tourists and students. Why single out one group of people? If any person living in Australia drains a certain amount of resources, it stands to reason this is also the case with short-term visitors arriving year after year. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/migration-helps-balance-our-ageing-population-we-dont-need-a-moratorium-100030">Migration helps balance our ageing population – we don't need a moratorium</a>
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<p>Not only do tourists and international students add to crowded trains, trams and buses, think of all the environmental resources they consume – such as the water hotels spend on frequently washing their sheets. </p>
<p>Just as with migration, tourist numbers are on the rise in Australia. The number of international tourists (blue line) increased from just over 4 million in 1997-98 to nearly 8 million in 2015-2016. <a href="https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/02key">Settler arrivals</a> (people living in Australia who are entitled to permanent residence) increased from 81,000 in 1998 to 135,000 in 2016.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231867/original/file-20180814-2909-2cu3qc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231867/original/file-20180814-2909-2cu3qc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231867/original/file-20180814-2909-2cu3qc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=392&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231867/original/file-20180814-2909-2cu3qc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=392&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231867/original/file-20180814-2909-2cu3qc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=392&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231867/original/file-20180814-2909-2cu3qc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=493&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231867/original/file-20180814-2909-2cu3qc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=493&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231867/original/file-20180814-2909-2cu3qc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=493&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tourist numbers are on the rise in Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/5249.02015-16?OpenDocument">Australian Bureau of Statistics</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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<p>My crude calculations show that if Australia were to allow zero tourism, it could accommodate roughly 900,000 more migrants. As a comparison, <a href="https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/about/corporate/information/fact-sheets/20planning">Australia’s total migration intake</a> is around 190,000 per year. </p>
<p>But of course curbing tourism, or immigration, isn’t a feasible option. Tourists, international students and migrants all add positive value to Australia.</p>
<h2>Our calculations</h2>
<p>As a <a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/28107756">general rule</a>, the monetary amount spent across a group of people in a population is considered a rough approximation of the amount of resources that have been used. So, to get an idea of the resources short-term visitors to Australia (which includes tourists and international students who stay for less than a year) might use, I extracted data on how much they spend on goods and services. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/factcheck-is-australias-population-the-highest-growing-in-the-world-96523">FactCheck: is Australia's population the 'highest-growing in the world'?</a>
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<p>Then I calculated the approximate number of migrants who would be spending the same amount of money. This gave me a rough indication of how many extra migrants we could let into the country per drop in tourist numbers.</p>
<p>I was a bit generous in terms of working off the assumption that migrants spend the same amount on goods and services as “native” Australians. I used ABS data for my calculations, which were:</p>
<ul>
<li>First, I subtracted the amount <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/5249.0Main+Features12015-16">international tourists spend</a> (which includes students who stay less than a year) in Australia (this was A$33,917 million in 2015-16) from the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/5206.0Main+Features1Mar%202018?OpenDocument">total spend in Australia</a> (A$940,822 million in 2015-16). This gave me an idea of the amount spent by Australian residents only (A$906,905 million in 2015-16).</li>
<li>I then worked out the average consumption of residents per capita by dividing it by the population (around 24 million in 2015-16). This came to A$37,680 million for every 1,000 people.</li>
<li>Then I divided the total spend of international tourists by the per capita amount (per 1,000 residents) spent by residents. This came to 900,213 in 2015-16.</li>
<li>I also did similar calculations assuming tourists consumed 10% and 20% more than migrants.</li>
</ul>
<p>The fact we could have 900,000 extra migrants if we had no tourists is a very rough number. The point is not the exact number. Even if the more accurate number was 400,000, that number is large. The purpose of this exercise is to show that migrants, as one group of people, don’t pose the most significant risk to our population in terms of resources drained.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232008/original/file-20180815-2900-1aokyfp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232008/original/file-20180815-2900-1aokyfp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232008/original/file-20180815-2900-1aokyfp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=538&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232008/original/file-20180815-2900-1aokyfp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=538&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232008/original/file-20180815-2900-1aokyfp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=538&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232008/original/file-20180815-2900-1aokyfp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=676&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232008/original/file-20180815-2900-1aokyfp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=676&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232008/original/file-20180815-2900-1aokyfp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=676&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">These numbers are based on crude calculations, and assume that migrants spend the same way as Australian-born residents.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>It’s a rough guide</h2>
<p>As already mentioned, my calculations were crude. More detailed calculation of resources consumed by both groups (immigrants and international tourists) would compare the different impacts on growth and employment of immigration. But for the purposes of this exercise, I’ve carried out more limited calculations. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="http://theconversation.com/sustainable-tourism-is-not-working-heres-how-we-can-change-that-76018">'Sustainable tourism' is not working – here's how we can change that</a>
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<p>The demographic profile of immigrants is also different from that of international tourists. And the spending patterns of immigrants would be very different from those of the tourists. Immigrants would be buying white goods, for instance, such as refrigerators, vacuum cleaners. Tourists would be buying these services indirectly through renting rooms in hotels, Airbnb and the like.</p>
<p>But we wouldn’t shut down tourism, as we know it has a positive impact on our economy. And <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ajag.12488">research</a> generally shows that immigration has a <a href="https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws:41669">slightly positive</a> effect on <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1475-4932.12328">Australia’s employment rate</a> and gross domestic product (GDP). A recent <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-17/budget-would-suffer-if-australia-cut-immigration-report-shows/9666232">government report</a> also shows that cutting Australia’s migration rate would cost the budget billions of dollars, lower living standards and reduce jobs growth. </p>
<p>Both tourism and migration make a positive impact to our economy, and no one group should be blamed for draining our resources.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101457/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Raja Junankar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>People think migrants are draining Australia's resources. But if we were to cut down on migration, it would also make sense to introduce policies that limit numbers of international tourists.Raja Junankar, Honorary Professor, Industrial Relations Research Centre, UNSWLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1012722018-08-14T09:44:17Z2018-08-14T09:44:17ZWales's tourism problem is down to a disconnect with its own people<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231704/original/file-20180813-2912-6rdaar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Harlech Castle, Gwynedd, north Wales.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/harlech-wales-united-kingdom-september-20-598753838?src=VU0-UnSFgt6PEXEiw236zQ-1-0">Valery Egorov/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Wales is a country bursting with ancient culture and beautiful landscapes. It is home to a vibrant people, who are intensely proud of their heritage. It sounds like the perfect place for many a traveller to visit – so why then, has it long struggled to attract foreign tourism? </p>
<p>In 2017, <a href="https://gov.wales/docs/statistics/2018/180802-wales-tourism-performance-2017-revised-en.pdf">more than one million trips</a> were taken to Wales by overseas visitors. This very modest 0.5% increase on 2016 was accompanied by a steep drop in international tourists’ spending – down by 17% from £444m to £369m. These figures were <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45060541">in sharp contrast</a> to London (up 14% to £13,546m) and Scotland (up 23% to £2,276m). </p>
<p>Dwelling too much on this disparity – when both London and Scotland are better connected and internationally more visible – would be a self-flagellating enterprise. But Wales may have expected better after a £5m Welsh government spend on a “<a href="http://www.visitwales.com/legends">Year of Legends</a>” marketing campaign. Putting the heritage of Wales – its legends, landscapes and castles – at the fore was meant to highlight some of its unique selling points. </p>
<p>But while the nation tried to market its “Welshness” abroad, at home it was confused as to what this even meant. Proposals including a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-40732061">giant “iron ring” sculpture at Flint Castle</a> and a nostalgic flirtation with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-42412341">marketing Wales internationally as a “principality”</a> were met with anger and accusations that the devolved government had forgotten the very history it was trying to sell.</p>
<p>Sadly, however, none of this is a new problem – Wales has been struggling with foreign tourism for decades – and it is largely down to this disconnection.</p>
<h2>Years of failed promises</h2>
<p>During the 1970s and 1980s, Wales’s share of the total amount spent by international visitors to the UK never hovered much higher than about 2%. Then as now, focusing on heritage and culture was seen as a way of addressing the changing tastes and trends which had eaten away at the traditional rural and coastal resort market. </p>
<p>Much has been made of the <a href="http://walesthebrand.com/themed-years">series of themed years</a> which began in 2016 with the “Year of Adventure”. But Wales has also done this before: 1976 was the “Welcome America Year” while 1983 was the “Year of the Castles”. What was intended as an unproblematic tourist promotion, the year of castles actually became a matter of some controversy in Wales – the castles were mainly built by invaders leading some to criticise it as a celebration of the 1282-3 <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/wales_conquest_01.shtml#five">conquest of the native principality of Wales</a>, and its subjection to the crown of England. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231688/original/file-20180813-2903-1ogle82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231688/original/file-20180813-2903-1ogle82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=343&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231688/original/file-20180813-2903-1ogle82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=343&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231688/original/file-20180813-2903-1ogle82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=343&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231688/original/file-20180813-2903-1ogle82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=431&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231688/original/file-20180813-2903-1ogle82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=431&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231688/original/file-20180813-2903-1ogle82.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=431&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Conwy castle, built by Edward I during his conquest of native Wales, between 1283 and 1289.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://pixabay.com/en/castle-wales-tower-uk-welsh-1863724/">Pixabay</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Nevertheless, the plan went ahead, with a year-long festival – Cestyll ’83 (Castles ‘83) – at its heart. Though directed and publicised from above, it largely relied on the action of local authorities and voluntary organisations. The only directive was that any activities – from charity pram pushes to medieval pageants – should “take place in or near a Welsh castle”. The Wales Tourist Board would eventually claim that some 200 events in Wales during 1983 were inspired by the festival.</p>
<h2>Festival of shame</h2>
<p>Using a castle-shaped stand, the festival was launched at the World Travel Market in London in December 1982. This was followed, at the end of February 1983, with a domestic and royal launch attended by Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales, at Caerphilly Castle. Like all commemoration it had a whiff of self-congratulation and a gratuitous swagger. It was also all too easy for the Wales Tourist Board to slip in that the festival was a celebration of the seventh centenary of the building of some of Wales’s most famous castles – such as Conwy, Caernarfon and Harlech – all of which were <a href="http://www.castlewales.com/edwrdcas.html">built by Edward I</a> to secure his conquests.</p>
<p>As a result, the festival was dubbed a “<a href="http://cofiwn.blogspot.com/2007/01/great-battle-gwyl-y-cestyllfestival-of.html">festival of shame</a>”. Modern grievances were transferred onto Edward’s castles. Weren’t these, questioned some, the first English holiday homes in Wales?</p>
<p>That’s not to say it wasn’t a success – on the commercial side, the increase in visitors and buzz it created played a key role in the establishment of the government’s historic environment service CADW to maximise the tourist potential of the country’s heritage. On the cultural side, it highlighted that the medieval heritage of Wales could not be treated as unproblematic. While making mistakes and forgetting its history might be an indicator that Welsh nationhood is alive and kicking – under French historian Ernest Renan’s famous definition of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_a_Nation%3F">what makes a nation</a> – the castles of Wales remain saddled, it would seem, with a heritage which is both a blessing and a curse. In the present as in the past, Welsh castles have been a source of conflict and cultural exchange. </p>
<p>Tourism may be about commodifying locations – but if Wales wants its own people on board it needs to ask itself what it wants from the country’s heritage beyond potential economic gain. Locals and long-distance travellers might pay more attention to the country if its public history was known for its debate and controversy – and not as a bland footnote to English and British history. </p>
<p>Either way, Wales needs to come up with a solution that both the Welsh agree with and foreign visitors can engage with. The ongoing disconnect is evidently doing nothing to sell the nation to the world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101272/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Euryn Rhys Roberts does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Since the 1970s, Wales has been marketed as a footnote to British history.Euryn Rhys Roberts, Lecturer in Medieval and Welsh History, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/959872018-08-12T14:13:44Z2018-08-12T14:13:44ZHow soccer games can help protect wildlife<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230450/original/file-20180802-136673-esekzk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Conservation groups are organizing soccer games to help bridge the gaps between park rangers and communities. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A whistle blows and young men in brightly coloured jerseys race towards a soccer ball on a grassy field in Erat, a community that lies within the boundaries of Korup National Park in southwest Cameroon. </p>
<p>It might be hard to believe, but this is an excellent example of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2004.00077.x">community-based wildlife conservation</a> in action. </p>
<p>Increasingly, conservation organizations around the world are using <a href="https://www.bpctrust.org/causes/coaching-for-conservation-c4c">sporting events</a> to help promote conservation awareness, encourage wildlife and environmental stewardship practices and foster positive relationships among community, government and non-profit organizations. </p>
<p>One such example is <a href="https://www.korup-conservation.org/">Korup Rainforest Conservation Society</a> (KRCS) in southwest Cameroon’s Korup National Park, an area rich in biodiversity and human culture. It is home to Preuss’s red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus preussi), drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2018/05/pangolins-on-the-brink-as-africa-china-trafficking-persists-unabated/">pangolin</a> species and forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis). </p>
<p>But there is also conflict, including direct human-wildlife conflict from crop-raiding wildlife, human safety risks and human-human conflict between those who <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320710004714">harvest bushmeat</a> for sustenance or illegal trade. </p>
<h2>Local wildlife teams</h2>
<p>Conservation concerns are typically addressed with more <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2016/04/eavesdropping-cameroons-poachers-save-endangered-primates/">traditional biological and ecological techniques</a>, such as wildlife population monitoring and response to human disturbance. But we also know that for conservation efforts to be successful, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479705000472?via%3Dihub">people must be engaged</a> in solutions. </p>
<p>It’s important to build relationships based on <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3589073?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">trust, reciprocity and exchange</a>. But this can be challenging when tensions run high. </p>
<p>KRCS started <a href="https://www.greenvision.news/ngo-uses-football-to-ease-village-park-conflict/">hosting soccer</a> games to create space for building relationships — and promote conservation over conflict. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228510/original/file-20180719-142408-1oqfg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228510/original/file-20180719-142408-1oqfg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=512&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228510/original/file-20180719-142408-1oqfg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=512&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228510/original/file-20180719-142408-1oqfg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=512&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228510/original/file-20180719-142408-1oqfg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=644&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228510/original/file-20180719-142408-1oqfg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=644&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228510/original/file-20180719-142408-1oqfg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=644&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mangabeys and Red Colobus soccer teams of Korup National Park area in Cameroon.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Korup Rainforest Conservation Society)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Soccer games are socially significant in communities across <a href="http://www.ohioswallow.com/book/African+Soccerscapes">Cameroon and many other African</a> countries. The game reflects a sense of nationalism and it’s easy to play with limited equipment. </p>
<p>KRCS uses soccer to promote community-based conservation. Soccer focuses energy and engages people in opportunities to connect in ways that may not be addressed by direct conservation messaging. An example is naming teams after animals — the Drills, the Mangabeys — to foster affinity for local wildlife. </p>
<p>Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, these soccer games offer a space for villagers, KRCS staff and park rangers to learn from each other and gain perspective into each others’ lives. </p>
<p>During and after the games, players have the opportunity to hear about the work KRCS and park rangers do in the area. Likewise, villagers can offer their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479705000472?via%3Dihub#aep-section-id25">local knowledge</a>, concerns and livelihood needs. There are even opportunities for villagers to become involved in KRCS’s training, where they can learn skills that can help them find jobs, like working for the park or KRCS. </p>
<h2>Broad reach</h2>
<p>Other groups also use soccer games to create a common ground, build positive relationships and promote collective action. In Tanzania, <a href="http://peaceforconservation.com/index.php/soccer-football-for-conservation/">Peace for Conservation</a> uses <a href="http://www.sscn.co.za/">Sports for Social Change</a> to organize soccer matches among communities. </p>
<p>The games provide a social venue to share information and teach villagers about the importance of elephant and rhino populations in the Serengeti National Park area. Villagers also learn how to become involved with anti-poaching patrols and other locally relevant conservation efforts. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228512/original/file-20180719-142420-1ts9zrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/228512/original/file-20180719-142420-1ts9zrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=738&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228512/original/file-20180719-142420-1ts9zrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=738&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228512/original/file-20180719-142420-1ts9zrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=738&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228512/original/file-20180719-142420-1ts9zrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=928&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228512/original/file-20180719-142420-1ts9zrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=928&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/228512/original/file-20180719-142420-1ts9zrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=928&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Peace for Conservation’s Elephant soccer team in Tanzania.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Peace for Conservation)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The soccer teams can benefit too. They receive jerseys and soccer balls for future games. Fans take home brochures and posters on species and conservation, raising awareness and encouraging stewardship. </p>
<p>When possible, Peace for Conservation also provides monetary prizes that communities can use for infrastructure projects.</p>
<h2>Video assist</h2>
<p>Board games and video games can also be used to promote conservation. They can be <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/4509/">especially powerful in conveying important conservation messages</a>. Players can learn via simulations of real-life scenarios and outcomes. </p>
<p>“<a href="https://fleurygs3.wixsite.com/brightfrog/projects">Operation Ferdinand</a>” is an example of a <a href="http://ydraw.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Stop-Motion-Aids-Multimedia-Learning.pdf">graphics-based video game</a> recently used to addresses human-wildlife conflict that occurs in villages throughout Mozambique’s Niassa Reserve area. </p>
<p>The game teaches best practices for livestock husbandry and reducing conflict with predators, and discourages the use of poison. The game is highly experiential and controlled by the players themselves. Facilitators from the <a href="http://www.niassalion.org/">Niassa Carnivore Project</a> are on hand to answer questions and give guidance. </p>
<p>While still in the early stages of development and testing, this game can teach people conservation concepts and practices in an <a href="http://www.k12photoed.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Visual_Literacy_stokes.pdf">interactive and interesting</a> way. Importantly, the game promotes <a href="https://users.ionio.gr/%7Emgiannak/CAE2013.pdf">fun and enjoyment</a>, and the ability for players to achieve success, important aspects in game-based learning. </p>
<p>That said, the costs and technical expertise associated with developing a game can be high, which may leave organizations reluctant to invest, especially with many other priorities. </p>
<h2>Judging success</h2>
<p>As a volunteer, I’ve been privy to some of the benefits of games for conservation. Tensions among government authorities, NGOs and villagers can be eased, and space for productive dialogue can be created. Games also encourage appreciation for local wildlife species, new and fun learning opportunities, and local participation to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.iucn.org/commissions/commission-environmental-economic-and-social-policy/our-work-ssc/human-wellbeing-and-sustainable-livelihoods">Other benefits</a> include developing educational scholarships for extremely disadvantaged young children, and providing health care or health equipment for people in need. </p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thomas_Hainey/publication/283686834_An_update_to_the_systematic_literature_review_of_empirical_evidence_of_the_impacts_and_outcomes_of_computer_games_and_serious_games/links/56caf18508aee3cee541498d.pdf">this is still a growing area</a> in conservation science and practice, where evaluation on the relationship between games, or other locally relevant social enterprise, and conservation efforts is needed. </p>
<p>Now that KRCS, Peace for Conservation and Operation Ferdinand have built their foundation — the community connections, the teams, the fans — scientists like myself can work towards determining if all the good stuff that comes from playing a game also extends off the field.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95987/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Courtney Hughes is voluntarily involved with Korup Rainforest Conservation Society in Cameroon, and Peace for Conservation in Tanzania. Funding and in-kind contributions for these organizations come from various sources locally, nationally and internationally. Courtney thanks Orume Robinson, David Kabambo and Gabriela Fleury for their contributions to this article and dedication to wildlife conservation. Currently, Courtney works in Peace River, Alberta, Canada for Alberta Environment and Parks. </span></em></p>Environmental organizations are using games to engage communities on conservation matters.Courtney Hughes, Conservation Biology PhD Candidate, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1011232018-08-12T06:59:23Z2018-08-12T06:59:23ZWhy cheetahs in the Maasai Mara need better protection from tourists<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231130/original/file-20180808-191041-agoalf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In parts of the Maasai Mara its not uncommon to see more than 30 tourist vehicles at a sighting</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Femke Broekhuis</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The global cheetah population is continuing to decline <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/114/3/528.full">with only</a> about 7000 individuals left in Africa. This is thought to be <a href="http://www.catsg.org/cheetah/05_library/5_3_publications/M/Myers_1975_Cheetah_in_Africa.pdf">about</a> half the population that existed 40 years ago. The decline has been <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-being-done-in-kenyas-maasai-mara-to-protect-cheetahs-50470">caused by</a> the loss and fragmentation of their natural habitats, a decline in their prey base, the illegal trade in wildlife as well as conflict with humans for space.</p>
<p>Cheetahs have <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/114/3/528.full">disappeared from</a> 91% of their historic range. This is hugely problematic as cheetahs are a wide-ranging species. To be viable a cheetah population needs a contiguous, suitable habitat which covers about <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4620858.pdf?casa_token=s1A6qW98U2sAAAAA:gNJqe8AE-RJH-5_Yi7XY3UJT7HT8D0YOX6uqZdIlPNtFq45Hc3GfSNO_v0KHiwwGG1boM7MuP7T_fgzdtl0oBKRwmZavZbxtvS_F9FtY-W-cr9cu">4,000–8,000 km2</a>. But <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/114/3/528.full">few protected areas</a> in Africa are larger than 4,000 km2. </p>
<p>As a result, most of the cheetahs in the world – <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/114/3/528.full">77%</a> – are believed to range outside protected areas. But this isn’t ideal for the animals as, from previous research we conducted using data from GPS satellite collars fitted on cheetahs in the Maasai Mara, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.4269">we found</a> that cheetahs avoid areas of high human disturbance and prefer protected, wildlife areas.</p>
<p>These results show the importance of wildlife areas for cheetahs, but my most <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.4180">recent research</a> shows that these protected spaces have challenges of their own. We found that the number of cubs a cheetah is able to rear is lower in areas that receive lots of tourists compared with areas that are visited less. This suggests that cheetahs aren’t getting the protection they need, particularly from the impact of growing numbers of tourists.</p>
<h2>Maasai Mara</h2>
<p>Kenya’s Maasai Mara has one of the <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0153875">highest</a> cheetah densities in the world, but it’s a landscape that is under <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep41450">increasing human pressure</a>.</p>
<p>Famous for its spectacular wildebeest migration, the Maasai Mara is a popular tourist destination. The wildlife areas of the Maasai Mara include the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which is <a href="http://www.narok.go.ke/maasai-mara">managed by</a> the Narok County Government, and numerous <a href="https://www.maraconservancies.org/">wildlife conservancies</a>, each run by different management companies. </p>
<p>The conservancies are formed through a partnership between Maasai landowners and tourism companies, whereby landowners receive a fixed, monthly payment for leasing their land for wildlife based activities on the condition that they do not live on the land, cultivate or develop it. Combined, the wildlife areas, which are predominantly used for photographic tourism, <a href="https://www.maraconservancies.org/conservancies-profiles/">cover</a> an area of about 2,600 km2 – one-tenth the size of Wales or Belgium.</p>
<p>During the high season about <a href="http://geonode-rris.biopama.org/documents/863">2,700 people</a> visit the Maasai Mara National Reserve daily. But they are often not adequately managed. </p>
<p>The Mara Reserve – with the exception of a conservancy called the Mara Triangle – doesn’t limit the number of tourists that enter the park per day, and there are no restrictions on the number of tourist vehicles at a predator sighting. It’s therefore not uncommon to see more than 30 tourist vehicles at a sighting. </p>
<p>Ideally, the Mara Reserve should restrict the number of tourists, especially during the peak tourist seasons.</p>
<p>Tourists also affect the landscape of wildlife areas. For example, tourist accommodation is continuing to increase in the Mara Reserve and these facilities are usually built on river banks which are prime habitats for species such as elephants, leopards and breeding raptors.</p>
<h2>The research</h2>
<p>One crucial element for a healthy cheetah population is cub recruitment, defined as offspring survival to independence. </p>
<p>Cheetahs have relatively big litters, ranging between one to six cubs. But cheetah cubs can succumb to various factors including abandonment, poor health, and fires so the number of cubs that reach independence can be very low, ranging from <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1994.tb04855.x">5%</a> to <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/kalahari-cheetahs-9780198712145?cc=ke&amp;lang=en&amp;">28.9%</a>. </p>
<p>I was interested in finding out if tourism is playing a role in this.</p>
<p>By analysing four years of data on female cheetahs with cubs it became apparent that high numbers of tourists are having <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.4180">a negative effect</a> on the number of cubs that reach independence. More specifically, females in areas with a lot of tourists on average raised one cub (or none survive) per litter to independence compared to more than two cubs in low tourist areas. </p>
<p>There was no hard evidence of direct mortality caused by tourists. But my conclusion from my findings is that tourists are likely to have an indirect effect on cub survival. This could be because they lead to cheetahs changing their behaviour and increase their stress levels by getting too close, overcrowding with too many vehicles, staying at sightings for prolonged periods of time and by making excessive noise. </p>
<h2>What can be done?</h2>
<p>My study highlights the importance of implementing and enforcing strict wildlife viewing guidelines, especially in areas where tourist numbers are high. The Maasai Mara’s wildlife conservancies are largely getting this right. Tourist numbers are limited to the number of beds per conservancy and only five vehicles are allowed at a sighting at any given time. </p>
<p>Actions that could be taken include:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>allowing no more than five vehicles at a cheetah sighting;</p></li>
<li><p>ensuring that no tourist vehicles are allowed near a cheetah lair (den);</p></li>
<li><p>ensuring that vehicles keep a minimum distance of 30m at a cheetah sighting;</p></li>
<li><p>ensuring that noise levels and general disturbance at sightings are kept to a minimum;</p></li>
<li><p>ensuring that vehicles do not separate mothers and cubs; and that</p></li>
<li><p>cheetahs on a kill are not enclosed by vehicles so that they can’t detect approaching danger.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>If tourism is controlled and managed properly, it can play a very positive role in conservation. Money from tourism goes towards the creation and maintenance of protected areas – like the wildlife conservancies – and can help <a href="https://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/conl.12576">alleviate</a> poverty. It also shows local communities the benefits that predators can bring and can <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/humanwildlife-coexistence-attitudes-and-behavioural-intentions-towards-predators-in-the-maasai-mara-kenya/7ABC8B279438EE319D0494216826B82E">positively</a> influence attitudes. </p>
<p>However if human pressures, like tourism, remain unchecked it risks having a negative impact on wildlife and could mean the loss of some of the biggest attractions – like cheetahs.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/101123/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Permissions for this study were granted to Femke Broekhuis by the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (Permit No.: NACOSTI/P/16/69633/10821), the Kenya Wildlife Service (Permit No.: KWS/BRM/5001), Narok County Government and the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association. The African Wildlife Foundation, Vidda Foundation, BAND Foundation made donations through the Kenya Wildlife Trust to cover operational costs. Nelson Keiwua, Saitoti Silantoi, Ruth Kebenei, Symon ole Ranah, David Thuo, Kosiom Keiwua, Kasaine Sankan, Kelvin Koinet, Niels Mogensen and Nic Elliot helped with data collection for this research.</span></em></p>New findings show that the numbers of cubs a cheetah is able to rear is lower in areas that receive lots of tourists.Femke Broekhuis, Senior research associate, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1008462018-08-06T09:46:04Z2018-08-06T09:46:04ZYour choice of holiday destination is a political act<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230029/original/file-20180731-136649-11gdot1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=31%2C15%2C5145%2C3430&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=496&amp;fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">augustin de montesquiou unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCDd7hl3tLw">Tickets, money, passports!</a> We all know what to check for during that last minute packing panic. But preparing for your holidays is about more than what you squeeze into your suitcase. It is about making a political choice. </p>
<p>Tourism is an industry tied up with national and international politics like no other. Tourists are a source of foreign exchange, governments promote themselves through visitors, and politicians quite often worry about the social freedom that tourism can nurture. For these reasons tourists are both courted and scapegoated.</p>
<p>At the most basic level tourism counts as an export industry. It is a source of foreign currency and can help to prop up a nation financially. </p>
<p>However, local people often see few of the benefits of hosting tourists. Large organisations tend to control much of the tourism industry. These frequently pay little in the way of <a href="https://www.taxjustice.net/2015/11/09/guest-blog-sun-sea-sand-tourism-and-fantasy-finance/">local taxes</a>. Meanwhile local people shoulder much of the burden of sharing their space and facilities with visitors.</p>
<p>Some <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669582.2016.1206112">indigenous people</a> have asked foreign tourists to stay away. They have argued that tourism is threatening their culture, damaging their land’s ecosystems, and is a form of colonialism. In <a href="http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/visitor/sustainable-tourism-project/drafts/Native-Hawaiian-Impact-Report.pdf">Hawaii</a>, attempts are being made to reconcile some of the issues arising from the tourism industry over-exploiting an open and hospitable native culture.</p>
<p>Where you spend your holiday money therefore contributes to legitimising particular politicians and their policies. However, tourists don’t just bring money into a destination. They also bring social and cultural inputs.</p>
<p>Tourism has been associated with liberalising social values, empowering minorities, and even spreading democracy. In Spain, for example, the growth of tourism, initiated under the dictator, Francisco Franco, as a means of propping up an ailing economy, has been suggested as helping to usher in democratic change.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230021/original/file-20180731-136679-83lkb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;rect=0%2C997%2C3065%2C1985&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230021/original/file-20180731-136679-83lkb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=745&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230021/original/file-20180731-136679-83lkb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=745&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230021/original/file-20180731-136679-83lkb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=745&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230021/original/file-20180731-136679-83lkb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=937&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230021/original/file-20180731-136679-83lkb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=937&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230021/original/file-20180731-136679-83lkb3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=937&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Leave it as you found it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ishan @seefromthesky/Unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Hosts and guests <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517715300224">exchange observations and ideas</a>. They form relationships. And they stimulate <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517705000865">mutual creativity</a>. It is only in the past 20 years that China began to allow its people to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/05/only-governments-can-stem-tide-of-tourism-sweeping-the-globe">freely travel abroad</a> after decades of forced isolation. Politicians are frequently fearful of the subversive ideas and awkward questions that travellers might bring back with them.</p>
<p>A residual mistrust of tourists can see them scapegoated by politicians looking to place convenient blame. <a href="http://web.mit.edu/11.951/oldstuff/albacete/Course%20Reader/Culture%20and%20History/Tremlett%202006%20Chapter%204.pdf">In Barcelona</a>, a city dependent on tourism for its late 20th-century revival, tourists are being made increasingly unwelcome. They are blamed for increasing costs of living for residents, rather than the broader challenges of inequality and financial stagnation that raise uncomfortable questions about local political capacity.</p>
<h2>Image control</h2>
<p>Tourism is also a way for governments to assert their ideologies – internally and externally. Visitors to <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g147271-d147980-Reviews-Museum_of_the_Revolution_Museo_de_la_Revolucion-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Provinc.html">Cuba</a> for example, can visit the Museum of the Revolution, reportedly one of the top things to do in Havana.</p>
<p>Research has shown that the exhibits <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738399001152">sold as heritage</a> to tourists prioritise certain specific stories and can silence others. Over time the official narrative becomes established and other perspectives may be forgotten. <a href="https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/england-queer-history-recognised-recorded-celebrated">Historic England</a> has, for example, recently begun to try and include the often overlooked queer history of many heritage sites. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230039/original/file-20180731-136649-1y7ofbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/230039/original/file-20180731-136649-1y7ofbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=900&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230039/original/file-20180731-136649-1y7ofbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=900&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230039/original/file-20180731-136649-1y7ofbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=900&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230039/original/file-20180731-136649-1y7ofbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1131&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230039/original/file-20180731-136649-1y7ofbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1131&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/230039/original/file-20180731-136649-1y7ofbv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=1131&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Do Israel’s LGBTQ credentials extend beyond the beach?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">toa heftiba unsplash</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Meanwhile tourism can be a means of raising and modifying a country’s image on the world stage. Israel has for many years used gay tourism to soften its international image by making the country seem progressive in a part of the world which generally is not. Dubai has established itself in the same region as a deluxe playground filled with sights and indulgence like nowhere else.</p>
<p>However, the commitments of both of these destination’s governments to the touristic image they sell is debateable. LGBTQ people in Israel recently had restrictions placed upon their <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/protests-erupt-israel-lgbt-surrogacy-law-approved-1034931">right to surrogacy</a> by their parliament. Meanwhile Dubai is well known for its cases of people facing severe judicial sentences for acts as innocuous as accidentally <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/22/briton-jailed-for-three-months-in-dubai-for-touching-mans-hip">brushing another man’s bum</a>.</p>
<h2>Having a better holiday</h2>
<p>On the one hand the image sold to tourists is often not the same as the reality faced by like-minded people living within a country. On the other, tourists may themselves be expected to conform to regulations they would not agree with or accept back home.</p>
<p>The power of tourism is not lost on political actors. Recently the Chinese government successfully put <a href="https://theconversation.com/taiwan-how-airlines-are-being-dragged-into-chinas-bitter-dispute-over-the-islands-sovereignty-100932">pressure on international airlines</a> to stop referring to Taiwan as a country or face retaliation.</p>
<p>Tourists should not leave it up to politicians to exploit their desire for exploration for self-interested purposes. We need to appreciate our power as consumers; supporting destinations that celebrate tourism as a means of mutually rewarding host-guest exchanges and boycotting those which do not. Tourists have a lot of potential influence. They should use it to hold politicians to account.</p>
<p>So there are a few things to consider when planning your holiday. Find out whether your travel provider committed to investing in local taxes, jobs and suppliers. Research the attitudes of local residents towards tourism beforehand in order that you can be a better guest. Bring back more than a nice tan by swapping ideas, stories and phone numbers. Check the public image of a destination matches its private one and don’t support hypocrites. And finally, be aware of politicians using tourism to bully those with whom they don’t agree – and be prepared to call them out.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100846/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brendan Canavan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>You can be a better tourist this summer. Here's how.Brendan Canavan, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, University of HuddersfieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.